A Chinese study (included in the
JACC paper) found that folic acid supplements reduced the risk of stroke 22 percent overall and 73 percent in participants who took folic acid in addition to their blood pressure medication. But those findings might be different if a similar study were conducted in the U.S., where cereals, breads, pasta and rice are fortified with folic acid. The Chinese diet is lower in folate than our diet. It is unclear whether additional dietary folate would be beneficial here, says Dr. Hazen.
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