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Supplements
Cut Post-Stroke Hip Fracture Risk
(NY, Reuters Health, 3/1/05)
Dr. Yoshihiro Sato of Mitate Hospital in Tagawa, Japan, and
associates, assigned either folate and mecobalamin or daily
placebos to 628 older adults with long-term post-stroke
paralysis. During the next 2 years, homocysteine levels fell
for subjects taking the supplements and rose for those who did
not, but bone mineral density did not differ significantly.
While subjects in each group suffered virtually the same
number of falls, the supplement group sustained only six hip
fractures compared to 27 in the control group. These findings
suggest that the reduction in homocysteine levels brought
about by folate and vitamin B12 may reduce the risk of hip
fracture in elderly stroke patients.
(Journal of the American Medical
Association, March 2, 2005) |
Article Summary