Scientists from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and elsewhere found that vitamin B12 and folate levels may influence heart disease death risk in type 2 diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease.
Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart.
People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk for heart disease: High blood pressure increases the force of blood through your arteries and can damage artery walls.
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is naturally found in animal foods. It can also be added to foods or supplements. Vitamin B12 is needed to form red blood cells and DNA.
It is also a key player in the function and development of brain and nerve cells.
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9, water-soluble, and naturally found in many foods.
Folate helps to form DNA and RNA and is involved in protein metabolism. It is also needed to produce healthy red blood cells and is critical during periods of rapid growth, such as during pregnancy and fetal development.
The associations of folate and vitamin B12 levels with heart disease outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes remain unclear.
In the current study, researchers aimed to examine the associations of folate and vitamin B12 levels with the risk of heart disease death risk in people with type 2 diabetes.
They used data from more than 8000 people with type 2 diabetes who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 through 2014 and NHANES III (1988-1994).
The study included data from 7700 participants in the folate analysis and 4860 participants in the vitamin B12 analysis.
During the follow-up, 799 heart disease deaths were found for the folate analysis, and 467 heart disease deaths were reported for the vitamin B12 analysis.
The team found associations between folate and vitamin B12 with the risk of heart death in people with type 2 diabetes.
People with too high and too low levels of vitamin B12 were linked to a higher heart disease death risk.
In addition, low level of folate in the body was linked to higher death risk in heart disease.
Based on the findings, the researchers conclude that both low and high blood levels of vitamin B12, as well as low blood levels of folate, were strongly linked to a higher risk of heart disease death in people with type 2 diabetes.
The research was published in JAMA Network Open and conducted by Yujie Liu et al.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer.
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