(CBS) There have been high hopes in the medical community that a combination of folic acid and vitamin B could help reduce the risk of heart disease. But new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, had surprising results.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay joined The Early Show Monday to discuss the findings, which she says are getting a lot of attention at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta.

Senay says there were "high hopes these vitamins would reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing homocysteine, which is an amino acid found in the blood and many studies have shown that in people at high risk for having cardiovascular problems, like strokes and heart disease, this chemical was high," she told co-anchor Hannah Storm. But, actually, "It's made no difference at all."

As to whether people who are already taking the vitamins should continue, Senay says it's a mixed bag.

"This is probably not the end of the story for folic acid and these B vitamins. There's probably hope it will work, maybe in people who aren't at high risk yet," she said. "But at this point, I think if you are on it and your doctor has prescribed it for you, you might want to check in and see what their thinking is now, based on these studies."

Senay also talked about the latest research on metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of risk factors for coronary heart disease. Patients diagnosed with any three of the factors below qualify for metabolic syndrome.

Obesity

High blood pressure

Insulin resistance, an early marker for diabetes

High triglycerides, which are a type of fats found in the blood

Low HDL or "good" cholesterol

Senay says there is both good and bad news on metabolic syndrome. The good news is that more patients are getting their cholesterol levels under control, with the help of drugs like statins. But despite that improvement, the incidence of metabolic syndrome is actually up by about 50 percent, both in the United States and in Europe, because of an increase in both obesity and insulin resistance.

©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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