Question explored with the scientific record
Does increase in folic acid damage heart stents
The short version: the evidence retrieved does not contain a single study that tests whether folic acid damages heart stents.
The question asks about a specific outcome—stent damage, restenosis, or thrombosis—in people who have had a coronary stent placed. None of the 18 studies in the evidence block address that population or that endpoint. The closest is a study of stable angina patients that measured MCP-1 levels and thin-cap fibroatheromas (a plaque feature) after folic acid and B12 supplementation, and found no significant effect on either [16]. That is not the same as stent outcomes. Another trial in elderly people with high homocysteine found that two years of folic acid and B12 did not change biomarkers of endothelial function or inflammation, despite dropping homocysteine by 4 µmol/L [18]. Endothelial function is relevant to stent health, but the study did not look at stents.
The evidence base here is not weak in the sense of being conflicted or poorly designed. It is absent. No study in the retrieved set compares stent patients who took folic acid to those who did not, and no study measures restenosis, stent thrombosis, or any stent-specific clinical event. The gap itself is the finding. If you are a stent patient considering folic acid, the literature provided does not answer whether it helps or harms your stent.
My call: the evidence retrieved does not address this question. Confidence: not clear, because the question was never studied in the retrieved records.
Sources examined 18
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Irradiation Stability of Folic Acid in Powder and Aqueous Solution
This study investigates the stability of folic acid after irradiation treatment in various physical states, pH levels, and atmospheric conditions, revealing that folic acid in solution is highly unstable while folic acid in powder form shows significant stability even when mixed…
DOI: 10.1021/jf103977q -
Risk factors for the occurrence of spina bifida (a case–control study) and the prevalence rate of spina bifida in Japan
A Japanese case-control study identifies four risk factors for spina bifida in newborns (not using folic acid, familial spina bifida history in third-degree relatives, anti-epileptic drugs without folic acid, and low birth weight), finds no decline in prevalence over 11 years de…
DOI: 10.1002/bdra.23179 -
Stability of Native Folate and Added Folic Acid in Micronutrient‐Fortified Corn Masa and Tortillas
The study evaluated stability of native folate and added folic acid in micronutrient-fortified corn masa and tortillas, finding that folic acid is significantly degraded during prebake masa holding in a commercial mill (with encapsulated folic acid showing better stability than …
DOI: 10.1094/cchem-12-09-0164 -
The risk of menstrual abnormalities after preconceptional use of folic acid or a folic acid–containing multivitamin in Chinese women
A retrospective questionnaire study of 219 Chinese women planning pregnancy, examining whether preconceptional folic acid or folic acid–containing multivitamin use is associated with menstrual abnormalities, finding that about 16% of users reported changes (primarily longer cycl…
DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2015.1072818 -
Relationship of plasma folic acid and status of DNA methylation in human gastric cancer
This study investigates the relationship between plasma folic acid levels and DNA methylation status in patients with advanced gastric cancer, revealing that lower folic acid concentrations correlate with hypomethylation of oncogenes c-myc and c-Ha-ras, suggesting a potential ro…
DOI: 10.1007/BF02936363 -
On the binding of folic acid to food proteins performing as vitamin micro/nanocarriers
This study examines how folic acid binds to β-lactoglobulin and type A gelatin to form pH-responsive nano-/microparticles, characterizes their size and reversibility with pH changes, and demonstrates how high-intensity ultrasound can modulate particle size for potential oral del…
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2018.01.021 -
Folic Acid-Anchored PEGgylated Phospholipid Bioconjugate and Its Application in a Liposomal Immunodiagnostic Assay for Folic Acid
This study reports the synthesis of a folic acid–anchored PEGylated phospholipid bioconjugate and its integration into folic acid–sensitized liposomes to develop a liposome-amplified immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) column assay for rapid, sensitive folic acid determination i…
DOI: 10.1021/ac900402v -
Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Thermal Characterization of Copper(II) and Iron(III) Complexes of Folic Acid and Their Absorption Efficiency in the Blood
This study investigates the synthesis, characterization, and blood absorption efficiency of Copper(II) and Iron(III) complexes of folic acid, demonstrating that these metal complexes are absorbed more efficiently in rodent blood compared to folic acid alone.
DOI: 10.1155/2009/979680 -
Folic Acid Antagonists during Pregnancy and the Risk of Birth Defects
A large multicenter, population-based case-control study examining whether maternal use of folic acid antagonists during early pregnancy (dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors and antiepileptic drugs) increases risks of cardiovascular defects, oral clefts, and urinary tract defects…
DOI: 10.1056/NEJM200011303432204 -
Neural Tube Defects and Maternal Folate Intake Among Pregnancies Conceived After Folic Acid Fortification in the United States
This study evaluates the associations between neural tube defects and maternal folic acid intake among pregnancies conceived after the implementation of folic acid fortification in the United States, finding little evidence of a protective effect from folic acid supplementation …
DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwn331 -
The effect of the systemic folic acid intake as an adjunct to scaling and root planing on clinical parameters and homocysteine and C‐reactive protein levels in gingival crevicular fluid of periodontitis patients: A randomized placebo‐controlled clinical trial
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating whether adding systemic folic acid to scaling and root planing improves clinical periodontal outcomes and modulates biochemical markers (homocysteine and C-reactive protein) in gingival crevicular fluid of …
DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13276 -
Zebrafish retinal defects induced by ethanol exposure are rescued by retinoic acid and folic acid supplement
In zebrafish, ethanol exposure during early retinal development causes microphthalmia and differentiation defects that are differentially rescued by retinoic acid or folic acid supplementation, with folic acid often providing stronger rescue during the ethanol-sensitive 16–24 hp…
DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.11.001 -
Folic acid therapy reduces plasma homocysteine levels and improves plasma antioxidant capacity in hemodialysis patients
This study evaluates the effects of folic acid supplementation on homocysteine levels and oxidative stress in hemodialysis patients, finding that folic acid significantly reduces homocysteine levels and increases total plasma antioxidant capacity without affecting hydroperoxide …
DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2007.01.002 -
Effect of folic acid on fenofibrate-induced elevation of homocysteine and cysteine
This study investigates the effect of folic acid on the fenofibrate-induced elevation of total plasma homocysteine and cysteine levels in patients with combined hyperlipidemia, finding that folic acid significantly reduces the increase in homocysteine but does not affect cystein…
DOI: 10.1016/s0002-8703(03)00122-4 -
Folic acid and folinic acid for reducing side effects in patients receiving methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis
This study evaluates the efficacy of folic acid and folinic acid in reducing gastrointestinal and hematologic side effects in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving low-dose methotrexate, finding a significant reduction in side effects with folic acid but inconclusive results f…
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd000951 -
Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation on Levels of Circulating Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and the Presence of Intravascular Ultrasound Derived Virtual Histology Thin-Cap Fibroatheromas in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris
This study investigates the effects of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation on circulating levels of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) and the presence of Virtual Histology Thin-Cap Fibroatheromas (VH-TCFA) in patients with stable angina pectoris, finding no signi…
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070101 -
Folates and aging: Role in mild cognitive impairment, dementia and depression
A comprehensive narrative review synthesizing evidence on how folate status affects aging-related neuropsychiatric outcomes (MCI, dementia, depression) in older adults, detailing proposed mechanisms (hyperhomocysteinemia, impaired methylation, uracil misincorporation, telomere e…
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2015.04.005 -
Effect of vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation on biomarkers of endothelial function and inflammation among elderly individuals with hyperhomocysteinemia
A large randomized, double-blind trial (B-PROOF) in elderly adults with hyperhomocysteinemia found that daily vitamin B12 and folic acid for 2 years did not meaningfully alter biomarkers of endothelial function or inflammation, despite a marked reduction in homocysteine.
DOI: 10.1177/1358863X15622281