Folic Acid Supports Vascular Function in Female Runners

MILWAUKEE—Elite female runners may suffer from amenorrhea, which can adversely affect heart health; however, short-term supplementation with folic acid may improve endothelial vascular function in those women, according to a new study (Clin J Sport Med. 2010;20(3):205-10. DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181df59f4). Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin provided 10 mg/d of folic acid to 10 amenorrheic and 10 eumenorrheic women runners for four weeks. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured before and after intervention. In the amenorrheic women, brachial artery FMD response to reactive hyperemia improved after supplementation with folic acid; there was no change in the women with normal menstruation.