Reduce Risks With Vitamins

With a healthy diet including folate and Vitamins B6 and B12, researchers say you can actually lower your risk for stroke and heart disease. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds the combination works to lower your level of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to cardiovascular problems in ThirdAgers.

It will take a little planning to make sure your diet has the recommended amount of folate and B vitamins. You may want to talk with your doctor or a nutritionist. The richest sources of folate are enriched breakfast cereals, hardboiled eggs, asparagus and green peas.

Foods with an abundance of vitamin B6 include breakfast cereals, baked potatoes with skin and bananas. Sources of B12 are milk, enriched breakfast cereals, fish and meat.

Elevated homocysteine levels can come from genetic disorders or vitamin deficiencies. Researchers say a wide variety of factors, such as age, obesity and alcohol consumption can contribute to your risk factor for cardiovascular disease.