Homocysteine: How A Key Risk Factor For Heart Disease And Stroke Continues To Be Ignored By Mainstream Medicine

Well-known media personality and nutritionist, Patrick Holford, recently turned established mainstream medical thinking on its head by saying: 'Forget your blood pressure, your cholesterol level, and even your weight. There is one indicator that can determine better than any other, whether you will live a long and healthy life, or die young. It's the level of homocysteine in your blood.'

If you're a long-time HSI member you'll know that we've reported on the findings of numerous studies conducted over the last few years, which support Patrick's claim and reveal the harmful impact high blood homocysteine levels can have on health. For example, excess amounts have been found to cause a build-up of plaque on blood vessel walls, which increases the risk of clots that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.1

And, according to researchers carrying out a four-year study at the University of Bergen, in Norway, a strong association exists between elevated homocysteine levels and all-cause mortality.2

Fortunately, your homocysteine reading can be easily measured with a simple blood test, and high levels can be reduced by taking a new supplement called H: Homocysteine and Heart Nutrients.

What is homocysteine and what causes levels to rise?
Homocysteine is a substance that occurs naturally in your body and is produced from methionine - an amino acid present in many protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish and eggs. It's only when homocysteine levels increase that it poses a threat to your health. Normally your levels are controlled through the intake of B vitamins in your diet - found in foods such as wholegrains, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables.

B vitamins are important because they encourage enzymes in your body to convert homocysteine into either glutathione (a potent antioxidant), or SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine) which is involved in over 40 essential biochemical reactions that take place in your body. However, if you are lacking in B vitamins, these enzymes are unable to carry out these processes properly and your homocysteine level can become elevated as a result.

Other factors that can contribute to elevated homocysteine include: age; a family history of heart disease, stroke, cancer or Alzheimer's disease; smoking; an oestrogen deficiency; too much salt, fat, alcohol or caffeine in the diet; a sedentary lifestyle; and certain drugs, such as corticosteroids. Scientists have also discovered that one in ten people have an inefficient MTHFR enzyme that converts homocysteine into SAMe. For these people, it's vital that they take higher daily doses of specific B vitamins, especially B2, B6 and B12, to lower their homocysteine levels.

Get your homocysteine level checked
According to Patrick Holford, 'It was formerly believed that a 'high' homocysteine level was above 15 units. This is what increases your risk of a heart attack and doubles your Alzheimer's risk. But now, levels as low as 7 units are being linked to increased disease risk.

Up to 30 per cent of people with a history of heart disease have a homocysteine level above 14 units. The average level in Britain is 10.5. What you want is a level below 6 units. If you have any of the associated risk factors above, it's especially important to get your homocysteine level tested,' he says.

You can check the level of homocysteine in your blood with the aid of a simple home testing kit. This involves putting a few drops of blood from a pin-prick onto a card, which is then sent to a laboratory to be interpreted. Test kits cost about 75.00 from selected health food stores or from Higher Nature.

The H: Homocysteine and Heart Nutrients formula can reduce high levels
If your test result comes back indicating a high homocysteine level, don't panic. The nutrients contained in the H: Homocysteine and Heart Nutrients formula have been scientifically proven to help lower high levels in a matter of weeks. They include vitamins B2, B6, and B12, folic acid, zinc and trimethyl glycine (TMG).

In one study it was found that homocysteine scores (based on units) were reduced by 60 per cent after participants took folic acid, B12 and B6 supplements.3

TMG has been added to the product because it helps to detoxify homocysteine by encouraging its conversion to SAMe. Trials in New Zealand, involving patients with very high homocysteine levels, showed that there was a further 18 per cent reduction in homocysteine when 4gm of TMG was given along with 50mg of B6 and 5,000mcg of folic acid, compared to patients taking B6 and folic acid alone.4

What to take for best results
If you want to prevent your homocysteine level from rising the recommended dose is one H: Homocysteine and Heart Nutrients tablet a day. If your homocysteine level is currently high then it is advisable to speak to a nutritionist regarding suitable dosage amounts.

WARNING: H: Homocysteine and Heart Nutrients tablets should not be taken during pregnancy or by women who are breast-feeding. As always you should consult your doctor if you are currently taking medication.