The Great Divide
What if there were a significant identifiable risk factor for the cause of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease (fatty deposits in peripheral arteries). Is this something that you would want to know about? More importantly would you want your doctor checking your status with regards to this risk factor during your check-ups?
By significant I mean that 40% of the 12.5 million deaths due to strokes that occur globally each year are a result of this risk factor. What about the estimated 16.7 million people who die each year (globally) from cardiovascular disease. Of those 16.7 million this risk factor increased their risk of heart attack by 50%. Of course we hear a lot about Alzheimer’s disease, but we don’t hear that our chances of developing this disease are increased by 150% by this very same risk factor.
When was the last time your doctor checked your levels of Homocysteine? You’re asking, “Homocysteine”? Well it happens to be a little amino acid in the blood that was discovered a few years ago. 1932 to be exact, but it wasn’t that long ago. Now in all fairness there wasn’t a link to human disease until 1962, so that should make you feel a lot better. However, during the last 15 years it has been a well established fact that elevated levels of homocysteine levels are a very strong risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Additionally, there are a number of studies that have found an association between high levels of this amino acid in the blood and impaired cognitive performance and dementia.
For those of you that have never heard of this minor fact you may be amazed to know that by some estimates there is a 15 (or more) year gap between research that is making significant discoveries and that research making it into your doctors office where they actually put it into practice. Now before we start beating up on our doctors, please keep in mind that these guys are being bombarded daily with information about the newest and latest drug that is coming out, trying to see as many patients as possible and then let’s not forget about those pesky malpractice suites that they have to deal with. What I am saying hear is that not all of it falls on their shoulders. With the insurance companies getting in the mix, the government and of course the big pharmaceutical companies it is amazing that any of the information that really matters ever makes it to where it will do us some good. Don’t despair. For those of your reading this you are well ahead of the game by taking some responsibility for your own health. In the end that is really all that we can do, because information is changing so rapidly with the advances in technology.
Back to our little-known friend, the Homocysteine amino acid. Homocysteine is produced in the body by the chemical conversion of methionine, which is a compound regularly consumed in our diet. One such food that is rich in methionine is fish. Once foods rich in methionine are consumed the methionine is taken into the blood and into cells where a methyl group is removed to produce homocysteine. The good news is that if the body then adds a different methyl group it creates a new chemical called S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) which is a natural antidepressant. Additionally this new chemical is also helpful in fighting against arthritis and is excellent at lowering the homocysteine levels. Beyond this there is some very good news. It has been observed that as the levels of SAMe rise, the body’s best anti-aging agent, glutathione is produced from the homocysteine that is in your blood. Basically, the key to having a long healthy life is to keep the glutathione levels up and the homocysteine levels down.
You will be happy to know that the dietary nutrients with the greatest effect on breaking down homocysteine in the body are folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. There have been a number of studies that show that high levels of B vitamins in the blood are related to lower levels of homocysteine. Unfortunately, due to the over processing of many of our foods there is a large portion of our population that has deficient levels of these important nutrients in their blood. Some of the foods that you can turn to in your battle against high levels of homocysteine in your body are: leafy green vegetables, grains, whole grain products, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and vegetables in general. For those of you that don’t know one of the best sources of leafy green vegetables that I use is a product called MetaGreens. One tablespoon of MetaGreens in my glass of orange juice in the mornings and I have had the equivalent of 5 large green salads for the day and I know that the nutrients have been preserved and the greens are all organic.
In case you want to have this tested next time you are in for a check-up it is my understanding that the following is a good guideline for the levels that you should be looking for.
Note: Homocysteine is test in micromoles per liter of blood (umol/L).
Above 14 – you are at major risk
Between 9 and 14 – you are getting into the high risk area.
Below 9 – is the range that you want to fall into. Basically, it has been determined that the lower the levels of homocysteine the lower your risk for developing coronary artery disease and suffering a fatal heart attack or stroke.
In short I have written this entry just to highlight one simple, but one I would hope you would agree, is a significant fact that I knew nothing of and had never heard from a doctor. They are busy just like the rest of us, so if we are going to expect to live a long healthy life we have to invest a little time educating ourselves on the latest research that is available concerning our health. Who knows you may even be able to educate your family doctor the next time you see him/her.
For those of you that would like to do some further research I am including some references below:
References:
1) Alzheimer’s Society UK (2005), Policy Positions – Demography
2) American Heart Association (2004), International Cardiovascular Disease Statistics fact sheet
3) American Heart Association (2004), Heart and stroke facts
4) American Heart Association (2005), Homocysteine, Folic Acid and Cardiovascular Disease
5) Delle Chiaie R, Pancheri P. and Scapicchio P. (2002) Efficacy and tolerability of oral and intramuscular S-adenosyl-L-methionine 1,4-butanedisulfonate (SAMe) in the treatment of major depression: comparison with imipramine in 2 multicenter studies. Am J Clin Nutr., 76(5).
6) Lieber CS. (2002) S-adenosyl-L-methionine: its role in the treatment of liver disorders. Am J Clin Nutr., 76(5).
7) Soeken KL et al. (2002) Safety and efficacy of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) for osteoarthritis. Journal of Family Practice, 51.
Vollset SE et al. (2000) Plasma total homocysteine, pregnancy complications, and adverse pregnancy outcomes; the Hordaland Homocysteine study. Am J Clin Nutr, 71(4).
9) Vollset SE, Refsum H, Tverdal A, Nygard O, Nordrehaug JE, Tell GS, Ueland PM. Plasma total homocysteine and cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality: the Hordaland Homocysteine Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Jul;74(1):130-6.
10) Yoshihiro Sato et al. (2005) Effect of Folate and Mecobalamin on Hip Fractures in Patients With Stroke. JAMA, 293.
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