Vitamin B12 Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin B12, including details on cyanocobalamin, benefits, supplements, deficiency, side-effects, sources.

Vitamins and entacapone in levodopa-induced hyperhomocysteinemia: a randomized controlled study.

Postuma RB, Espay AJ, Zadikoff C, Suchowersky O, Martin WR, Lafontaine AL, Ranawaya R, Camicioli R, Lang AE

Department of Neurology, McGill University, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ron.postuma@muhc.mcgill.ca

Elevated homocysteine is associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Therapy of Parkinson disease (PD) with levodopa elevates homocysteine. The authors conducted a 6-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to test whether folate 1 mg/vitamin B(12) 500 microg or entacapone reduced serum homocysteine in 35 levodopa-treated PD patients. Levodopa initiation caused a small elevation in homocysteine. Vitamin therapy, but not entacapone, resulted in a decrease in homocysteine compared to placebo.

Published 27 June 2006 in Neurology, 66(12): 1941-3.
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