Folic Acids Effect on Blood Vessels

The main benefit of folic acid for blood vessels is it's ability to manage homocysteine levels. Although there are many factors, homocysteine is one of the contributing agents for cardiovascular disease.

Threat

• Too much of an amino acid called Homocysteine may be related to a higher rate of atherosclerosis of the blood vessels, according to the American Heart Association.

Folic Acid Benefit

• Folic acid is the synthetic version of vitamin B folate, according to the Office of Diatary Supplements. This folic acid helps break down extra homocysteine in the body and eliminate it from the system.

Dangerous connection

• Another piece of evidence shows a link between deadly coronary heart disease and low levels of folic acid in the blood, according to the American Heart Association.

Lack of Evidence

• Scientists find it difficult to show a direct cause-effect relationship between lowering homocysteine and lowering the chance of cardiovascular disease. This is perhaps due to the fact that many people with cardiovascular disease have other risk factors like obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Maximum dosage

• There is no direct risk of taking folic acid, but if there is an existing B12 deficiency already, excessive folic acid could trigger deficiency symptoms, like nerve damage. Folic acid daily supplement intake should not exceed 1000 micrograms.