Homocysteine – Part 2 - Health Plus Digest

There are several factors that can lead to increased homocysteine levels in the blood. These factors include alcohol intake, age, kidney failure, post-menopause, smoking, or a previous heart attack or stroke. There are also medications that have been shown to increase the homocysteine level – niacin, metformin (diabetes), methotrexate, levodopa and phenytoin.

The theory is that when homocysteine levels are elevated they injure the arterial walls and it promotes the growth of smooth muscle cells in the artery which narrows the opening. In more recent research, scientists have found that homocysteine increases the risk of blood clots.

Research has found that increasing your intake of L-methylfolate, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6 will reduce elevated levels of homocysteine by up to 70%. There are blood tests that can measure your levels of homocysteine and predict your risk for disease. People who should consider being tested are those with a family history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, smokers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and kidney failure.

There are several factors that go into living a healthy lifestyle that leads to a long and healthy life. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels are important but are not the only criteria. Homocysteine levels, that can be controlled through diet, is also an important factor in the prevention of heart disease and stroke.

Resources:

American Heart Association: Homocysteine, Folic Acid and Cardiovascular Disease

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Homocysteine-Folic-Acid-and-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_305997_Article.jsp

Circulation: Homocysteine and MTHFR Mutations

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/111/19/e289.full

Linus Pauling Institute: The Vascular Toxicity of Homocystine and how to Control it

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w99/vascular.html

Annual Review of Medicine: Homocysteine and Cardiovascular Disease

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9509248

PubChem: Homocysteine – Compound Summary

http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=91552

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Dose-Dependent Effects of Folic Acid on Blood Concentrations for Homocysteine