What Is Homocysteine?
What Is Homocysteine?
Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. Epidemiological studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood (plasma) is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
Other evidence suggests that homocysteine may have an effect on atherosclerosis by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots. However, a direct causal link hasn’t been established.
Plasma homocysteine levels are strongly influenced by diet, as well as by genetic factors. The dietary components with the greatest effects are folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. Folic acid and other B vitamins help break down homocysteine in the body. Several studies have found that higher blood levels of B vitamins are related, at least partly, to lower concentrations of homocysteine. Other recent evidence shows that low blood levels of folic acid are linked with a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease and stroke.
Several clinical trials are under way to test whether lowering homocysteine will reduce CHD risk. Recent data show that the institution of folate fortification of foods has reduced the average level of homocysteine in the U.S. population.
Recent findings suggest that laboratory testing for plasma homocysteine levels can improve the assessment of risk. It may be particularly useful in patients with a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, but in whom the well-established risk factors (smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure) do not exist.
Although evidence for the benefit of lowering homocysteine levels is lacking, patients at high risk should be strongly advised to be sure to get enough folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 in their diet. Foods high in folic acid include green, leafy vegetables and grain products fortified with folic acid. But this is just one risk factor. A physician taking any type of nutritional approach to reducing risk should consider a person's overall risk factor profile and total diet.
Ha ha ha! Homocysteine is the new thing. New evidence implicates it in Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, concentration problems, even depression and more. They can test your homocysteine levels. What stops homocysteine? Folic Acid, B6, and B12.
Also, about that folic acid. Here's DuPage warning us about getting more of it...
DuPage County Health Department promotes Folic acid awareness campaign
The DuPage County Health Department is supporting a national campaign to make people aware of the importance of folic acid in their diets and its many lifelong benefits.
Folic acid is important to all people, but especially women of childbearing age. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, even if they do not plan to become pregnant in the near future. Folic acid must be taken before pregnancy occurs to prevent certain birth defects called neural tube defects.
The best source of folic acid is a daily multi-vitamin. The next best source is fortified foods.
The Health Department reminds people about the value of folic acid with the current popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. People may be curtailing their intake of carbohydrates such as fortified grains and may be unaware that they are not getting essential vitamins and minerals necessary for health and well being, such as folic acid.
The theme of the National Folic Acid Awareness Week, Jan. 24-30, is “Folic Acid: You Don’t Know What You’re Missing.” Folic acid is a B-vitamin necessary for proper cell growth in men and women. Folic acid may reduce the risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects, the risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and colon, cervical and breast cancer.
All breads and cereals now have to be fortified with it by law! Super important for pregnant women! And those poor low carbers might be missing out!
But wait! Where do you get B6 and B12, to stop the deadly artery clogging homocysteine? Well, those are the MEAT VITAMINS, and you need to eat meat to get them! The vitamins everyone is pushing aren't as good. I love how they say you need b6, b12 and folic, so eat the vegies that have folic acid. And the other two? You need to eat meat, so the heart association tells you to get the B-vitamins but doesn't tell you how!
Here's the kicker- our caveman ancestors didn't have vitamins! And they didn't eat grain- it wasn't invented until very recently! They ate meat, and lots of it! They were swimming in B-vitamins! And the folic acid, that DuPage worries the low carbers won't get? The best source for that is LIVER! Every meat eating culture in the world has prized liver as the original superfood, high in muscle building Vitamin A and cancer fighting/ brain building Vitamin D.
So if you want to fight heart disease, you need vitamins you can only get from meat. But the heart association says that meat is bad, so eat spaghetti fortified with folic acid! What a joke! Welcome to the world of diabetes! I guess the American Heart Association has a profit sharing thing with the American Diabetes association!
Say no to GRAIN! Say YES to MEAT AND LIVER!
What Is Homocysteine?
Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. Epidemiological studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood (plasma) is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
Other evidence suggests that homocysteine may have an effect on atherosclerosis by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots. However, a direct causal link hasn’t been established.
Plasma homocysteine levels are strongly influenced by diet, as well as by genetic factors. The dietary components with the greatest effects are folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. Folic acid and other B vitamins help break down homocysteine in the body. Several studies have found that higher blood levels of B vitamins are related, at least partly, to lower concentrations of homocysteine. Other recent evidence shows that low blood levels of folic acid are linked with a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease and stroke.
Several clinical trials are under way to test whether lowering homocysteine will reduce CHD risk. Recent data show that the institution of folate fortification of foods has reduced the average level of homocysteine in the U.S. population.
Recent findings suggest that laboratory testing for plasma homocysteine levels can improve the assessment of risk. It may be particularly useful in patients with a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, but in whom the well-established risk factors (smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure) do not exist.
Although evidence for the benefit of lowering homocysteine levels is lacking, patients at high risk should be strongly advised to be sure to get enough folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 in their diet. Foods high in folic acid include green, leafy vegetables and grain products fortified with folic acid. But this is just one risk factor. A physician taking any type of nutritional approach to reducing risk should consider a person's overall risk factor profile and total diet.
Ha ha ha! Homocysteine is the new thing. New evidence implicates it in Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, concentration problems, even depression and more. They can test your homocysteine levels. What stops homocysteine? Folic Acid, B6, and B12.
Also, about that folic acid. Here's DuPage warning us about getting more of it...
DuPage County Health Department promotes Folic acid awareness campaign
The DuPage County Health Department is supporting a national campaign to make people aware of the importance of folic acid in their diets and its many lifelong benefits.
Folic acid is important to all people, but especially women of childbearing age. They should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, even if they do not plan to become pregnant in the near future. Folic acid must be taken before pregnancy occurs to prevent certain birth defects called neural tube defects.
The best source of folic acid is a daily multi-vitamin. The next best source is fortified foods.
The Health Department reminds people about the value of folic acid with the current popularity of low-carbohydrate diets. People may be curtailing their intake of carbohydrates such as fortified grains and may be unaware that they are not getting essential vitamins and minerals necessary for health and well being, such as folic acid.
The theme of the National Folic Acid Awareness Week, Jan. 24-30, is “Folic Acid: You Don’t Know What You’re Missing.” Folic acid is a B-vitamin necessary for proper cell growth in men and women. Folic acid may reduce the risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects, the risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and colon, cervical and breast cancer.
All breads and cereals now have to be fortified with it by law! Super important for pregnant women! And those poor low carbers might be missing out!
But wait! Where do you get B6 and B12, to stop the deadly artery clogging homocysteine? Well, those are the MEAT VITAMINS, and you need to eat meat to get them! The vitamins everyone is pushing aren't as good. I love how they say you need b6, b12 and folic, so eat the vegies that have folic acid. And the other two? You need to eat meat, so the heart association tells you to get the B-vitamins but doesn't tell you how!
Here's the kicker- our caveman ancestors didn't have vitamins! And they didn't eat grain- it wasn't invented until very recently! They ate meat, and lots of it! They were swimming in B-vitamins! And the folic acid, that DuPage worries the low carbers won't get? The best source for that is LIVER! Every meat eating culture in the world has prized liver as the original superfood, high in muscle building Vitamin A and cancer fighting/ brain building Vitamin D.
So if you want to fight heart disease, you need vitamins you can only get from meat. But the heart association says that meat is bad, so eat spaghetti fortified with folic acid! What a joke! Welcome to the world of diabetes! I guess the American Heart Association has a profit sharing thing with the American Diabetes association!
Say no to GRAIN! Say YES to MEAT AND LIVER!
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