High dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B6 were associated with reduced risk of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure among Japanese study subjects, according to research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

The association of dietary folate and B vitamin intakes with risk of cardiovascular disease is controversial, and the evidence in Asian populations is limited, study authors indicated.

In the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study, a total of 23,119 men and 35,611 women, age 40 to 79 years, completed a food frequency questionnaire. During the median 14-year follow-up, there were 986 deaths from stroke, 424 from coronary heart disease and 2087 from cardiovascular disease.

According to study results, dietary folate and vitamin B6 intakes were inversely associated with mortality from heart failure for men and with mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease and total cardiovascular disease for women. These inverse associations did not change materially after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. No association was found between vitamin B12 intake and mortality risk.