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High dietary folate has been found to decrease the risk of stroke, according to a new study in the journal Stroke. Researchers found that people who consumed at least 300 micrograms of folate daily had a 20 percent lower risk of stroke and a 13 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed less than 136 micrograms of folate. Folate, also known as vitamin B, is found in citrus fruits, tomatoes and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and romaine lettuce, as well as in pinto, navy and kidney beans. Since 1998, wheat flour in the United States has been fortified with folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, which adds about 100 micrograms to the average daily diet. Certain breakfast cereals contain 400 micrograms of folic acid per serving. A glass of orange juice and a cup of raw spinach contain about 100 each. Folate is destroyed in boiling water, so steaming or stir-frying vegetables is considered preferable. The study followed 9,764 men and women, ages 25 to 74, for an average of 19 years. "Our data support the existing recommendation to consume 400 mcg of folate every day," writes lead author Lydia A. Bazzano, a research fellow at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. For product information click HERE |