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HOMOCYSTEINE
NEW ASSESSMENTS FOR
CHOLESTEROL
Article by herbalist Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
I thought it would be good
to deal with the latest in cholesterol management.
At one point, the Parkersburg News ran an article on
the health page titled “Hearts Beware
Of Plaque” which sparked my curiosity.
This article mentions how
plaque is the problem when dealing with cardiovascular
disease. It did not mention how homocysteine is a
consideration when doing cholesterol
assessments. This article will attempt to fill in the
blanks from that article.
What is homocysteine and how
does it affect the build up of plaque in the arteries?
Homocysteine is not sold in stores or cannot be found in
foods. It is a product of metabolism; meaning, it
is made in the body like cholesterol. To keep
it simple, homocysteine is manufactured from an amino acid
found in meat called methionine.
When the body digests and metabolizes
methionine, it produces homocysteine before being
converted into other products. The problem arises when the
body cannot convert homocysteine.
The critical B vitamins (B6,
B12) and folic acid, choline
and betaine are instrumental in
converting homocysteine. The standard American diet is
deficient in B vitamins. Because of over processing of
food, many of us do not get adequate amounts of these
nutrients to be helpful to this problem.
To put it simply –
when homocysteine levels get too high because certain B
vitamins are too low, plaquing
becomes a problem.
Let’s look at how
elevated homocysteine can contribute to cardiovascular
disease. When this situation occurs,
elevated homocysteine damages the blood vessel wall.
This sets the stage for an increase in the
formation of fibrous tissue and calcium deposits
on the inside of the artery. When the blood vessels
feeding the heart are damaged, this is called coronary
artery disease.
When the vessels to the
brain are affected, this becomes a potential for a
stroke. When it affects the hands and legs, it
is called peripheral artery disease.
The issue of
homocysteine is not new to science.
Research into this began
back in 1933 when an article appeared in The New England
Journal of Medicine about an 8-year old boy who died
from a stroke. Autopsy showed that the boy had
arteriosclerosis that was usually seen in the elderly.
Later, Kilmer S. McCully, MD,
became interested in the homocysteine connection when an
Irish researcher noted that retarded children were dying of
advanced heart disease and stroke before reaching puberty.
This sparked DR
McCully to begin studying. In
1969 Dr. McCully presented his
work in the American Journal of Pathology, but he
was not taken seriously. Since then much more research has
been conducted, and to date there have been over
1,500 published studies on homocysteine in medical
journals. In an article published in 1995 by
the Journal of the American Medical Association,
again researchers urged Americans to increase their intake
of folic acid as a preventive measure against heart
disease.
The researchers further
stated the following:
·
30% to 40%
of people with cardiovascular disease and peripheral artery
disease have high levels of homocysteine.
·
30% of
elderly men and women have elevated homocysteine levels.
·
25% of
middle-aged men are deficient in vitamin B6, 56% in B12,
and 59% in folic acid.
It is estimated
that 40% of heart attacks in the United States
may be caused by elevated levels of homocysteine.
Current medical testing has
mostly centered on elevated cholesterol as the problem.
However, it is interesting to note that 80% of
heart attacks occur in men with normal
cholesterol levels.
Our current assessment of
cholesterol looks at the overall cholesterol in relation to
the two-lipo proteins called
HDL (high density lipo-protein)
otherwise good cholesterol and LDL
(low density lipo-protein) or
bad cholesterol. Another factor being assessed
is the level of triglycerides. A
triglyceride is a fat storage molecule that
comes from animal products and refined sugars. When it is
elevated along with elevated cholesterol, the
cardiovascular risk factor goes up.
Several recent
studies indicate that one of the prime targets of free
radicals is LDL cholesterol.
Oxidized and non-oxidized
LDL cholesterol has been implicated in artery damage.
Homocysteine may also cause this oxidation of LDL.
Anti-oxidant vitamins of vitamin C, E and beta-carotene
have shown promise in preventing this from happening.
Another type of lipo-protein is
called LP(A), and it is
considered another marker for elevated risk to
cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Mathias
Rath a world-renowned
cardiovascular researcher explained that LP (A) is produced
in the body due to low levels of vitamin C and E that are
instrumental in repair process when arteries are damaged by
free radicals. LP(A) is like
double stick tape. If the repair process of the vessel wall
is incomplete the LP(A) fills in
the damaged areas. Being like double stick tape it catches
cholesterol as it passes by and may lead to a build-up of
plaque that can block arteries.
Are there tests for
LP(A) and homocysteine?
Testing has been developed
along with the lipid profile of a standard blood test.
At the present time it is not
the norm for this to be checked, but
you would need to ask your health care practitioner to have
it checked.
The average person
has extremely small amounts of homocysteine.
For every 1,000
molecules of cholesterol, there is generally
one molecule of homocysteine.
Researchers are currently trying to establish safe levels.
At the moment, it is assumed that the normal range is
between 4.9 and 11.7 micromoles per liter of blood. Of
course, there are different levels based on age and gender.
Anything over 14
micromoles is considered damaging.
According to Dr.
McCully dosages of the B
vitamins should be within these ranges. B6- 4 -4.3 mcg, b
12 5 - 15 mcg, folic acid 400 mcg taken on a daily basis.
Most B complex vitamins are
adequate to take care of this potential problem with
homocysteine.
As with any health condition
it is important to research when considering any therapy.
Consult with your health
care practitioner.
For more information read
The Homocysteine Revolution by Dr. Kilmer
McCully or Homocysteine: The
New " Cholesterol" by Jack
Challem and Victoria Dolby.
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