Association between plasma folate and coronary disease independent of homocysteine.
Numerous studies have reported an association between increased homocysteine, low plasma folate, and coronary disease. These studies are generally interpreted as meaning that low folate status affects cardiovascular risk by increasing homocysteine levels, perhaps involving a common mutation in the gene for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). We examined the relation between coronary disease and homocysteine and plasma and red cell folate in 255 hospitalized coronary patients <65 years old and 114 age-matched population controls. Details of the study population and laboratory methods have been described previously.