Homocysteine Could
Give You A Heart
Attack
High homocysteine may be a greater
heart attack risk
than ldl cholesterol.
For several
decades, cholesterol has been the demon of heart disease. Now it appears that
cholesterol may have less to do with heart disease than most people
think. A strong
case has emerged that the villain in heart disease is a toxic amino acid called homocysteine.
What is homocysteine?
This gets a little technical but bear with me.
Homocysteine is a by-product of methionine
metabolism. If the right cofactors are present, it will eventually
convert to cysteine and other beneficial compounds. If the cofactors are
lacking, it will build up to toxic levels.
Homocysteine is
"heart attack city".
Elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood are associated with atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries) as well as an
increased
risk of heart attacks, strokes.
This narrowing leads to diminished blood flow through
the affected arteries.
Data from a study
on healthy U.S. physicians with no prior history of heart disease shows
that highly elevated homocysteine levels are associated with a more than
three-fold increase in the risk of heart attack over a five-year period.
This finding was
published in 1992 in JAMA as part of the Physicians' Health Study. The
study included 14,916 male physicians; it is the same one that showed
the benefits of aspirin. The Framingham Heart Study and other studies
have confirmed that elevated homocysteine is an independent risk factor
for heart disease.
Why don't we hear
more about homocysteine?
For one thing the
statin drugs do not reduce homocysteine and the cure is a very simple
and inexpensive one. Follow the money.
Is homocysteine in your
genes?
Dr. Rene Malinow of the Oregon Health
Sciences Center concluded that some cases of elevated homocysteine could
be the result of an inherited abnormality. This would be one explanation
for premature coronary artery disease that runs in families. Mostly,
however, elevated homocysteine levels can
usually be traced to inadequate or
improper nutrition.
High homocysteine
levels increase the tendency to excessive blood clotting.
Blood clots inside the arteries further diminish the flow of blood. The resultant lack of blood supply to the heart muscles causes heart attacks, and the lack of blood supply to the brain causes strokes.
How can homocysteine levels be lowered?
The consumption of folic acid supplements and
vitamins B6 and B12, can lower blood homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is chemically transformed into methionine and cysteine with the help of folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. Therefore, insufficient amounts of these vitamins in the body can hamper the natural breakdown of homocysteine
which can cause homocysteine to accumulate in the blood.
Does lowering
homocysteine levels prevent heart attacks?
In a large population study involving women, those who had the highest consumption of folic acid (usually in the form of multivitamins) had
lower homocysteine and fewer heart attacks than those who consumed the least amount of folic acid.
I recommend that you take a look at heart vitamins
for some excellent multi vitamins and other natural supplements that
will nourish and energize your heart .
GenePS If you've ever thought
about having your own website this may interest you.
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Gene
|
A survivor unlocks the
mystery of heart disease and homocysteine
