Gnosis by Lesaffre has highlighted some recent research on role of active folate in supporting bone health, particularly for postmenopausal women.
The loss of bone mass, otherwise known as osteoporosis, mainly affects postmenopausal women due to a sharp decline in oestrogen, but many other factors including genetic and metabolic disorders, lifestyle, environmental and inflammatory factors, could play a role.
Modifiable risk factors are the subject of important investigation, the company points out, as their adjustment may be changed to reduce the risk of disease development. Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) serum is one factor that may increase the risk of bone complications.
While there is little information about the mechanism through which Hcy may affect bone health, studies have shown high levels of circulating Hcy are associated with collagen cross-linking impairment, as well as impaired osteoclast and osteoblast activity.
Therefore, the company says, controlling Hcy levels may have therapeutic potential in the protection of bone health.
Research has positively investigated the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and low bone mineral density (BMD). Hyperhomocysteinemia was also associated with high inflammatory marker C-reactive protein levels and low vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folate levels in 252 post-menopausal women.
Quatrefolic, Gnosis by Lesaffre’s folate ingredient, was reportedly been shown to lower homocysteine levels in a randomised clinical trial where hypertensive subjects at low cardiovascular risk received 400 µg/day for 2 months versus a conventional vitamin supplementation with highly dosed folic acid (5 mg/day).
Quatrefolic supplementation was more effective in reducing homocysteine serum level than folic acid, levels in 55.8% of cases, significantly higher than in the control.
Read Gnosis' original article here.