Core tip: Hypertension is a common cardiovascular disease in our lives, folic acid many people are familiar with, pregnant women need to take folic acid supplements during pregnancy. But folic acid's role in high blood pressure is largely unknown.
Hypertension is a common cardiovascular disease in our lives, folic acid many people are familiar with, pregnant women need to take folic acid during pregnancy. But folic acid's role in high blood pressure is largely unknown.
What is folic acid?
Originally derived from spinach leaves, folic acid is also known as vitamin B9. Too much or too little folic acid is unhealthy. The average daily loss of folic acid in a normal adult is between 5 and 10mg.
Folic acid is widely found in animal and plant foods. Good food sources include liver, kidney, egg, pear, broad bean, celery, cauliflower, lettuce, citrus, banana, and other nuts. Although folic acid is widely found in food, it can lose 50%~70% and up to 90% in the food storage and cooking process. The bioavailability of folic acid from mixed food is only 50% in the human body. Therefore, the proportion of folic acid deficiency in the population is relatively high.
What are the effects of folic acid deficiency on cardiovascular health?
H-type hypertension refers to essential hypertension with hyperhomocysteine, so it is named because the first letter of homocysteine is "H". According to the investigation, 75% of the existing adult hypertension patients are H type hypertension with homocysteine increase.
Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid formed in the methionine metabolism pathway in the body and is an intermediate product of the methionine cycle. Under the action of folic acid, homocysteine can be resynthesized into methionine, and the plasma homocysteine will be reduced. If folic acid deficiency in the body, homocysteine resynthesis of methionine is blocked, may form hyperhomocysteinemia.
Increased plasma homocysteine concentration can cause damage to vascular endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle, affect the process of vascular movement, make arterial wall elastic change, lead to rapid contraction of blood vessels, but also make atherosclerotic thrombosis, induce cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction. Therefore, appropriate folic acid supplementation in h-type hypertension patients can prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular events.
How to supplement folic acid scientifically?
Eat foods rich in folic acid
The food with high folic acid content has spinach, celery, cauliflower, lettuce to wait, the fruit has pear, banana, citrus, still can eat animal viscera, nut to wait for compensatory folic acid more.
Drug supplement
Folate from inside food, after all, is limited, and the body of the body exploitation degree is lower, if the lack of folic acid in patients with serious, can be added, under the guidance of taking drugs currently has antihypertensive drugs with folic acid compound preparation, specifically for H patients with high blood pressure, use convenient, can greatly improve the patient's blood pressure.
