There’s an amino acid you’ve probably never heard of. One that prevents aging and staves off disease … but only if it’s working properly in your body. At optimal levels homocysteine works in your favor but at elevated levels, it can lead to the development of debilitating disease. The condition is called hyperhomocysteinemia, and it might be responsible for the strange symptoms you live with everyday.
What is Homocysteine?
Homocysteine is an amino acid that converts into two vitally important compounds; SAMe (S-adenosyl methionine) and glutathione. Amino acids are naturally made products, which are the building blocks of all the proteins in the body.
SAMe increases the availability of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are essential in the prevention of irritability, aggressive behavior, and depression. Low levels of these neurotransmitters increases risk of both suicidal and homicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Glutathione is an antioxidant that helps eradicate unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals. The antioxidant protection glutathione offers includes cancer prevention, immune system stabilization, anti-aging, cognitive repair, and mental health support.
Low glutathione levels play a major role in the development of bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, addictive behaviors, and schizophrenia.
So we need homocysteine to be able to convert into both SAMe and glutathione (GSH), and therefore maintain low levels of homocysteine (which is good-use it up.) But it cannot do this effectively without the correct nutrients, and will continue to accumulate in body tissues (which is bad).
Why is it important to monitor homocysteine levels?
Elevated levels of homocysteine (>10 micromoles/liter) in the blood may be associated with atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries) as well as an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clot formation, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.
In 1969, Dr. Kilmer S. McCully reported that children born with a genetic disorder called homocystinuria, which causes the homocysteine levels to be very high, sometimes died at a very young age with advanced atherosclerosis in their arteries. However, it was not until the 1990’s that the importance of homocysteine in heart disease and stroke was appreciated.
Health Risks of Hyperhomocysteinemia
Chronic Autoimmune Dysfunction
If you’re suffering from any kind of autoimmune condition, it could be due to elevated homocysteine levels in your blood. Excessive homocysteine levels deplete your glutathione levels so severely your body no longer has the antioxidant protection it needs. Without this protection, you’re susceptible to the development of a wide variety of infections. Over time, your immune system weakens as it struggles to protect you without necessary support.
High homocysteine levels also cause chronic inflammation and pain by increasing arachidonic acid and the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Chronic inflammation increases your risk for obesity and the development of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disease, digestive dysfunction, and mental health disorders.
Cardiovascular Disease
Hyperhomocysteinemia greatly increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. It destroys the lining of your arterial walls, which promotes the formation of blood clots and causes the build-up of scar tissue. This is especially true if you have other heart disease risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or family history.
Dementia
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, abnormally high levels of homocysteine nearly doubles your risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Low glutathione levels mean chronic brain inflammation, which directly contributes to cognitive decline.
Depression
Hyperhomocysteinemia leads to depleted levels of SAMe, which causes a critical drop in dopamine and serotonin. Without these neurotransmitters, severe depression as well as other mood disorders can result. Those feelings of hopelessness, doom, and generalized disinterest in life could simply be a matter of decreasing your homocysteine levels to balance your mental health.
Causes of High Homocysteine Levels
Hyperhomocysteinemia is caused by a combination of factors. These factors include:
Animal Protein Consumption
Studies have shown that high animal protein consumption can lead to elevated homocysteine levels. Especially if the meat consumed is red, processed meat. Think cold cuts, bacon, and canned meat. Not only do these foods elevate your homocysteine levels, they also contain dangerous nitrates and nitrites that have been linked to the development of cancer.
Vitamin Deficiencies
In order for your body to convert homocysteine to useable SAMe and glutathione, you must have the proper nutrients available in your system. If you are deficient in folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, zinc, TMG (trimethylglycine-from choline) or magnesium, your body will be unable to convert homocysteine to mood-stabilizing SAMe. If you are deficient in vitamin B6, vitamin B2, or zinc, your body will be unable to convert homocysteine to disease-preventing glutathione.
Vitamin deficiencies are a common aftereffect of a poor diet, poor digestion, and low gut bacteria.
Coffee and Energy Drink Consumption
Excessive coffee and energy drink consumption can lead to critically- elevated levels of homocysteine. Scientific studies have concluded that the caffeine content depletes your body of vital B vitamins, leading to lowered SAMe and glutathione concentrations. If, instead of coffee, you use energy drinks, I strongly recommend stopping. Energy drinks are very dangerous to your health. A single serving contains more caffeine than 4 cups of coffee as well as a long list of synthetic chemicals and additives that lead to the development of chronic disease.
Stress
High levels of stress can also increase your homocysteine levels and lead to further oxidative damage.
Genetics
A small percentage of patients have a genetic predisposition for elevated homocysteine levels due to a MTHFR mutation. It is still possible to lower the homocysteine levels, however.
High HCY levels can wreak havoc on your health
Homocysteine can be one of the most overlooked health dangers you face today. If too much HCY builds up, it can damage your body’s most delicate tissues, including your arteries, brain, bones and even your DNA. High levels of HCY can:
- Thicken and harden your arteries and weaken heart tissue – which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. According to a number of important studies, one of the primary causes of heart disease may not be high cholesterol, but high homocysteine levels.
- Build fibrous webs in the synapses of your brain – which may lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Impact DNA function, causing potentially dangerous cell or DNA mutations.
- Leave your bones unable to absorb calcium, causing weak bones and osteoporosis.
- Contribute to the damage done by many degenerative diseases.
Get your HCY levels checked
Unfortunately, you can’t feel dangerous, elevated HCY levels. There’s also no “home test” that can gauge your HCY either. But, it’s easy to have it checked by your healthcare professional. It’s important to know your HCY levels for two reasons: it’s an accurate way to determine your present health, and to predict your likelihood of developing serious health conditions.
Diagnose Hyperhomocysteinemia with an Easy Blood Test
The only way to be certain if your strange symptoms are related to high homocysteine levels is to get a blood test. Physicians may order the test for patients who have a family history of heart disease but no other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. These tests aren’t done routinely, are not widely available, and their cost (about $100) may not be covered by health insurance. A normal homocysteine level is between 4.4 and 10.8 micromoles per liter of blood. Direct Labs offers a homocysteine test that measures your levels. You’ll save money by purchasing the test yourself wholesale and visiting the nearest LabCorp office for a draw.
You’ll receive your results in 5-7 business days.
In my opinion, an ideal target range is 6.5 micromols/liter. Most labs will report up to 12 micromols/liter as being normal. A level above 12 needs prompt attention!
Take Action – Lower Your Homocysteine Levels Now
To lower your homocysteine levels naturally, I recommend a combination of simple dietary changes and nutritional supplements
Eat a Whole-Food, Minimally-Processed Diet
I give the same advice to all my patients dealing with a chronic disease: Taper off a junk food diet and start eating more holistic, minimally-processed foods.
This means loading up on plenty of organic vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, poultry, wild-caught fish, and healthy fats like butter, coconut oil, avocado, and walnuts. If you plan to eat red meat, be sure the beef you select is grass-fed and 100% organic.
Take the Right Nutritional Supplements
Even if you eat a healthy diet, you may still have nutritional gaps. Stress, low stomach acid, and low probiotic count can have a negative impact on your digestion. If you aren’t absorbing nutrients as you should, your homocysteine levels could still continue to rise to dangerous levels. This is why I recommend a quality multivitamin to supplement your diet and give you the nutrition you need.
Take this HCY Protection. This healing formula contains the exact nutrients your body needs to keep your homocysteine levels in balance.
Low magnesium levels often contribute to high homocysteine levels. Magnesium deficiency is the most common mineral deficiency in the world. That’s why I recommend taking Magnesium Supplements. Regulating your magnesium levels helps your body better cope with stress and eases short-term insomnia.
Protect yourself from the risks, threats and dangers of high homocysteine: add clinically-proven HCY Protection to your daily supplement regimen.
I personally recommend following product for its proven benefits.
Millions of people just like you struggle with chronic disease and worry about the effects of premature aging. With proper nutrition, dietary supplements, stress management, exercise, and lifestyle changes, you can lower your homocysteine levels and make them work for you instead of against you.
RESEARCH:
Elevated homocysteine levels also have been shown to be associated with formation of blood clots in veins (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism). The mechanism is complex, but it is similar to the way that they contribute to atherosclerosis. In some studies, even moderate levels of homocysteine level showed higher rates of repeated incidence of blood clot formation. (1,2)
Studies have suggested that adequate intake of folate, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 have resulted in lowering of the homocysteine level. (3)
There are many studies underway to determine whether there may be any benefit to treat high levels of homocysteine in patients with known heart disease or blood clots. Further recommendations may be available when these studies are completed. (4)
Many other observational studies have been performed to assess the effect of folate and the other B vitamins on heart disease. Most of these studies have concluded that oral intake of folate has been associated to lower risk of heart disease, possibly because due to lowering of homocysteine levels. The relation between oral intake of vitamin B12 and B6 and heart disease was not as obvious in many of these studies. (5,6,7)
Homocysteine (HCY) was first linked to stroke in 1966. Pioneering medical researcher Kilmer McCully discovered that young people with high levels of homocysteine had heart attacks and strokes more often than people of the same age with lower levels of homocysteine.
elevated homocysteine in the blood may be another biomarker for increased risk of AMD.” The Age-Related Eye Disease Study conducted by Dr. Sneddon and other researchers, included 547 people with AMD and 387 without.
Researchers found that HCY levels were higher for people with advanced AMD compared to people without AMD, with age and other factors being taken into consideration. Also, high HCY levels were linked to a higher risk of AMD. In the study summary, Dr. Sneddon confirms that HCY can be controlled using Vitamins B-12, B-6 and folic acid.
Researchers found that elderly men and women who were deficient in B vitamins or had high levels of homocysteine were at higher risk for hip fracture. The study, which appeared in the June 2008 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism followed 1,002 people in the Framingham Study for over four years. Those who were deficient in Vitamin B-12 were 60% more likely to have a hip fracture than those whose B-12 levels were normal. People with high homocysteine levels were 50 – 70% more likely to experience a hip fracture.
RESOURCES:
American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org
REFERENCES:
1. Ray, JG. Meta-analysis of hyperhomocysteinemia as a risk factor for venous thromboembolic disease. Arch Intern Med 1998; 158:2101.
2. den Heijer, M, Rosendaal, FR, Blom, HJ, et al. Hyperhomocysteinemia and venous thrombosis: a meta-analysis. Thromb Haemost 1998; 80:874.
3. Vermeulen, EG, Stehouwer, CD, Twisk, JW, et al. Effect of homocysteine-lowering treatment with folic acid plus vitamin B6 on progression of subclinical atherosclerosis: a randomised, placebo- controlled trial. Lancet 2000; 355:517.
4. Eikelboom, JW, Lonn, E, Genest, J Jr, et al. Homocyst(e)ine and cardiovascular disease: a critical review of the epidemiologic evidence. Ann Intern Med 1999; 131:363
5. Robinson, K, Arheart, K, Refsum, H, et al. for the European COMCAC Group. Low circulating folate and vitamin B6 concentrations. Risk factors for stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and coronary artery disease. Circulation 1998; 97:437.
6. He, K, Merchant, A, Rimm, EB, et al. Folate, vitamin B6, and B12 intakes in relation to risk of stroke among men. Stroke 2004; 35:169.
7. McNulty, H, Dowey le, RC, Strain, JJ, et al. Riboflavin lowers homocysteine in individuals homozygous for the MTHFR 677C->T polymorphism. Circulation 2006; 113:74.
8. Wald DS, Law M, Morris JK. Homocysteine and cardiovascular disease: evidence on causality from a meta-analysis. BMJ. 2002;325:1202-1206.
9. Bazzano LA, et al. Dietary intake of folate and risk of stroke in U.S. men and women. NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Stroke. 2002;33:1182-1188.
10. Sibrian-Vazquez M, Escobedo JO, Lim S, Samoei GK, Strongin RM (January 2010). “Homocystamides promote free-radical and oxidative damage to proteins”. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107 (2): 551–4. doi:10.1073/pnas.0909737107.PMC 2818928. PMID 20080717.
11. Refsum, H; Nurk, E; Smith, AD; Ueland, PM; Gjesdal, CG; Bjelland, I; Tverdal, A; Tell, GS; Nygård, O; Vollset, SE (2006 Jun). “The Hordaland Homocysteine Study: a community-based study of homocysteine, its determinants, and associations with disease.”. The Journal of nutrition 136 (6 Suppl): 1731S–1740S. PMID 16702348
12. Martí-Carvajal AJ, Solà I, Lathyris D, Salanti G (2009). “Homocysteine lowering interventions for preventing cardiovascular events”. In Martí-Carvajal, Arturo J. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (4): CD006612. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006612.pub2.PMID 19821378.
13. Selhub, J. (1999). “Homocysteine metabolism”. Annual Review of Nutrition 19: 217–246.doi:10.1146/annurev.nutr.19.1.217. PMID 10448523.
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