Evidence mapPaperPMID 19201496Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of cardiology2010

The effect of folic acid supplementation on carotid intima-media thickness in patients with cardiovascular risk: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

George Ntaios, Christos Savopoulos, Dimitrios Karamitsos, Ippoliti Economou, Evangelos Destanis, Ioannis Chryssogonidis, Ifigenia Pidonia, Pantelis Zebekakis, Christos Polatides, Michael Sion and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of cardiology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07680595 (A Prospective, Exploratory, Cohort Clinical Study Comparing the Effects of Oral Statins With or Without Folic Acid on Carotid Plaque Stability.), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07680595 phase1 / phase2recruitingstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

A Prospective, Exploratory, Cohort Clinical Study Comparing the Effects of Oral Statins With or Without Folic Acid on Carotid Plaque Stability.

Ran2026Enrolled180Registered outcomes5Posted comparisons0ConditionsCarotid Atherosclerotic PlaqueArmsAtorvastatin, Atorvastatin plus folic acid
Open the trial in the graph
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Homocysteine-lowering interventions for preventing cardiovascular events.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
    Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

George NtaiosFirst Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA Hospital, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. ntaiosgeorge@yahoo.gr
Christos Savopoulos
Dimitrios Karamitsos
Ippoliti Economou
Evangelos Destanis
Ioannis Chryssogonidis
Ifigenia Pidonia
Pantelis Zebekakis
Christos Polatides
Michael Sion
Dimitrios Grekas
Apostolos Hatzitolios
AHEPA University Hospital · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionObservational studies have suggested a causal relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular complications such as stroke and ischemic heart disease. The Homocysteine Lowering Trialists' Collaboration has shown that daily administration of folic acid can significantly decrease homocysteine levels up to 25%. Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of daily supplementation of folic acid (5 mg) on IMT after 18 months of treatment in patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor.

methodsWe enrolled 103 patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor who were randomized to receive either a daily dose of 5 mg folic acid (group I, n=53) or placebo (group II, n=50) for 18 months.

resultsAfter 18 months of folic acid supplementation, homocysteine levels were significantly reduced in the active treatment group compared to a non-significant increase in the placebo group. Folic acid levels were markedly increased in the former group and non-significantly reduced in the latter. Significant regression of carotid IMT was observed (0.961+/-0.092 to 0.933+/-0.077 mm, p<0.001) compared to significant IMT progression in the placebo group (0.964+/-0.099 to 0.984+/-0.094 mm).

conclusionFolic acid supplementation results in significant IMT reduction after 18 months in patients with at least one cardiovascular risk.

Indexed as

AgedCarotid Artery DiseasesFemaleFolic AcidHomocysteineHumansHyperhomocysteinemiaMalePlacebosRisk FactorsTunica IntimaTunica MediaUltrasonographyVitamin B ComplexFolic AcidHomocysteinePlacebosVitamin B Complex

Identifiers

PMID19201496
OpenAlexW2026091335

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.