Homocysteine, Diet and Cardiovascular Diseases

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Homocysteine, Diet and Cardiovascular Diseases

This article is an important science advisory from the American Heart Association. It concerns the relationship between homocysteine levels in the blood and cardiovascular disease.

Elevated homocysteine levels seem to be involved in the process that can clog the arteries and lead to heart attacks and strokes. This advisory recommends that high-risk patients be closely monitored for elevated homocysteine. It also offers some surprisingly simple dietary advice for lowering those levels.

The article explains that folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 can lower serum homocysteine levels. And it advises that everyone eat foods high in these nutrients, or fortified cereals that contain them, to get at least the recommended minimum daily intake. The authors assert that patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease should be taking much higher doses to drive down their homocysteine levels and thus reduce their risk. Folates have already been identified as an important component of the diet of expectant mothers.

The authors of this advisory do not say everyone should be screened for elevated homocysteine. They state that those at risk should be taking more than the RDA of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 and should have their homocysteine levels monitored.

Manilow MR, Bostom AG, Krauss RM. AHA Science Advisory: Homocyst(e)ine, diet, and cardiovascular diseases. Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, Jan. 1999; 99(1), pp178-82.