For years we have heard that cholesterol, diet, heredity, age, weight, and physical activity were all good predictors of heart attacks and strokes. About 25 years ago a new risk factor, homocysteine, started to show a direct correlation to the incidence of heart disease.
Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, and recent research has shown that elevated levels are linked with an increased risk of premature coronary artery disease. They have found that elevated homocysteine levels contribute to atherosclerosis in at least three ways: (1) direct damage to the cells lining the inside of the arteries, (2) interference with blood clotting factors, and (3) oxidation of LDLs (bad cholesterol).
A study in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology showed that for every 10% elevation of homocysteine levels, there was nearly the same rise in risk of developing coronary artery disease. Another article in Stroke, reports that elevated levels may be associated with an increased risk of stroke in people who already have coronary artery disease. With dozens of other recent articles showing a correlation between homocysteine levels and various types of vascular diseases, it is no wonder why doctors are starting to routinely check for elevated levels.
There is good news! A simple and cost-effective means of lowering homocysteine levels may be sitting in your medicine cabinet. Vitamins B6, B9 (folic acid), and B12, are the most effective means currently available for lowering homocysteine levels. Folic acid supplementation seems to be the most effective; the usual therapeutic dose is 1mg/day. If this is not effective, B6, and B12 are usually added to make sure that the body, is absorbing and using these nutrients effectively. The most advisable way to try and lower your homocysteine levels would be to supplement with a B-complex vitamin that contained B6, B9, and B12. A 1999 study from Circulation followed 80,000 women for 14 years, and found that the incidence of heart attacks was lowest among those women who took multivitamins or had the highest intake of folic acid and B6 from dietary sources.
In an effort to be more proactive with our health care, it is important that we maintain a good nutritional intake of various vitamins and minerals. Optimally we should attain these nutrients from foods, but if our diet is lacking in the key nutrients it is good to know that a bottle of multivitamins, or B-complex vitamins can go a long way towards lowering the chance of cardiovascular disease.