Table of Contents
- 1 What is meant by homocysteine?
- 2 What does it mean when your homocysteine is high?
- 3 What are the benefits of homocysteine?
- 4 Which foods reduce homocysteine?
- 5 Does vitamin B12 reduce homocysteine?
- 6 Does vitamin B12 lower homocysteine?
- 7 How to reduce homocysteine levels naturally?
- 8 What raises homocysteine levels?
- 9 What level should your homocysteine be?
What is meant by homocysteine?
Homocysteine: An amino acid that is produced by the human body, usually as a byproduct of consuming meat. Homocysteine is normally converted into other amino acids. An abnormal accumulation of homocysteine, which can be measured in the blood, can be a marker for the development of heart disease.
What does it mean when your homocysteine is high?
A high homocysteine level, also called hyperhomocysteinemia, can contribute to arterial damage and blood clots in your blood vessels. High homocysteine levels usually indicate a deficiency in vitamin B-12 or folate. A normal level of homocysteine in the blood is less than 15 micromoles per liter (mcmol/L) of blood.
What are the benefits of homocysteine?
If your homocysteine level increases further, you may need to lower it. No studies have shown that lowering homocysteine levels helps reduce strokes, heart attacks, or other cardiovascular conditions. But a high homocysteine level is a risk for heart disease. So it’s a good idea to lower it if you can.
Does vitamin C lower homocysteine?
It appears that the combination of vitamins C and E may be an antidote to homocysteine, and one that works more quickly than traditional treatments such as vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. These vitamins can lower homocysteine levels over the course of a few weeks. In contrast, vitamins C and E can act within hours.
What causes low homocysteine?
Most people have low homocysteine levels because the body breaks down the amino acid into usable compounds. High or elevated homocysteine levels could indicate a person has a vitamin deficiency or has an increased risk factor for cardiovascular disease and several other conditions.
Which foods reduce homocysteine?
Studies show foods containing folic acid may lower homocysteine. Try beans, leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, beets, and wheat germ. A controlled trial showed that eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables containing folic acid, beta-carotene and vitamin C effectively lowered homocysteine levels.
Does vitamin B12 reduce homocysteine?
Supplementation with vitamin B12 decreases homocysteine and methylmalonic acid but also serum folate in patients with end-stage renal disease. Metabolism.
Does vitamin B12 lower homocysteine?
Supplementation with vitamins B9, B12, and B6 appears to decrease the homocysteine levels and potentially contributes to stroke prevention although direct evidence is lacking [12, 13]. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be detected in 10–40\% of the general population and may contribute to stroke and cognitive decline [14, 15].
What happens if homocysteine is too low?
Turns out the answer is yes: Low homocysteine levels do indeed have disease correlations. For example, low homocysteine has been shown to have a strong association with peripheral neuropathy. A surprising 41\% of patients with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy have hypohomocysteinemia.
How do you fix low homocysteine?
We know that folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 are all involved in breaking down homocysteine in the blood. Therefore, increasing your intake of folic acid and B vitamins may lower your homocysteine level. A good source of folate can be found in fruits and vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables).
How to reduce homocysteine levels naturally?
Reducing foods high in animal protein can also help lower homocysteine levels. For optimum health, Dr. Weil recommends following his anti-inflammatory diet, which limits total protein intake to between 80 and 120 grams (three to four ounces) daily, and emphasizes protein sources such as fish, beans, whole soy and dairy products.
What raises homocysteine levels?
Diet – high alcohol intake and coffee consumption reduce the absorption of vitamins
What level should your homocysteine be?
The normal level of homocysteine in your blood should be up to 15 micro mol/L. This is level in the average healthy person. The optimal level of homocysteine in your blood would be under 7 micro mol/L.