Increasing consumption of folic acid seems to decrease the risk of high blood pressure in women. This is according to a report released in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. John P. Forman of Harvard Medical School, studied a group of over 150,000 women. The group was divided by age, with nearly 94,000 between the ages of 27 and 44, and 62,000 between 43 and 70. Each group was examined and none of the women had high blood pressure when the study began.

The women were questioned regarding their diets and their consumption of folic acid through food and supplements. Eight years later, the younger women who consumed at least 1000 micrograms of folate, through both food and supplements, lowered their risk of hypertension by 46 percent than those who took less than 200 micrograms daily.

The percentage was lower for the older group – 18 percent.

The study suggests that, although many foods, including beans and green leafy vegetables, contain folates, food alone is not enough and that supplements are required in order to significantly reduce the risk of hypertension.