"Low Folic Acid Levels and High Homocysteine Increase Mortality Risk"

Disease Control Agency 12-Year Follow-Up Study Results

A study has found that when blood folate levels are low and there is a deficiency in vitamin B intake, elevated levels of 'homocysteine'?which can cause arterial damage and blood clots in blood vessels?are associated with a higher risk of death.

Exterior view of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Institute of Health announced on the 20th that it recently published this research paper in a specialized academic journal using data from the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study.

This study analyzed 12 years of follow-up data from 21,000 individuals using rural-based cohort clinical information and mortality statistics. While the association between homocysteine levels and mortality risk was previously known, evidence regarding folate levels and mortality risk was insufficient.

The results showed that men with low folate levels had higher risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. When accompanied by hyperhomocysteinemia, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 2.1 times higher, and the risk of death from cancer was 1.4 times higher compared to the group with both levels in the normal range. For women, those with low folate and high homocysteine levels had a higher risk of death from cancer, but there was no significant difference in cases with only low folate levels.

Additionally, when consuming the same amount of calories, men had lower folate intake than women, with folate deficiency rates of 17% in men and 5% in women. The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia was 21% in men and 6% in women.

This study was published in the international academic journal The Journal of Nutrition. Jiyoungmi, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "To prevent deaths from chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, it is necessary to maintain appropriate folate and homocysteine levels."