Q&A: IT'S NOT CHOLESTEROL, BUT IT CAN STILL CAUSE HEART DISEASE.Byline: Dr. Mitchell Hecht Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire More than a million men and women in the United States die of heart disease every year. And the numbers are increasing. While genetics or family history, smoking, high blood pressure and diet all up the odds of getting heart disease, there are ways to lessen the threat. Lowering cholesterol levels is the most commonly talked about step to take. But did you know that physicians see patients with ``normal'' cholesterol levels who develop heart disease? It doesn't make sense, unless you expand your mind to include other possibilities. High levels of homocysteine Homocysteine Definition Homocysteine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in blood plasma. High levels of homocysteine in the blood are believed to increase the chance of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoporosis. , for example, have been identified as a cause of heart attacks in up to 25 percent of people. What is homocysteine? Homocysteine is an amino acid amino acid (əmē`nō), any one of a class of simple organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and in certain cases sulfur. These compounds are the building blocks of proteins. - a by-product formed when proteins are broken down in the body. It's formed all the time, because proteins are continually being broken down and rebuilt. Once homocysteine is formed, it requires special enzymes to break it down or to recycle it. If a person lacks those enzymes, the homocysteine accumulates in the blood, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. damaging the delicate inner lining of arteries, making them more susceptible to accumulating cholesterol. Research first published in 1969 by Dr. Kilmer McCully, a Harvard pathologist, found a high level of homocysteine in the blood of people who had heart attacks and strokes. Numerous subsequent studies do seem to show a correlation between the presence of heart disease and high levels of Homocysteine. Can high homocysteine levels be controlled? The beauty of treating high homocysteine levels is they can be nearly normalized by supplemental folic acid folic acid: see coenzyme; vitamin. folic acid or folate Organic compound essential to animal growth and health and needed by bacteria as a growth factor. (folate folate /fo·late/ (fo´lat) 1. the anionic form of folic acid. 2. more generally, any of a group of substances containing a form of pteroic acid conjugated with l-glutamic acid and having a variety of substitutions. ), vitamin B vitamin B n. 1. Vitamin B complex. 2. A member of the vitamin B complex, especially thiamine. vitamin B, vitamin B complex a group of water-soluble substances described separately. 6 and vitamin B12. These vitamins help the enzymes to break down homocysteine. Folic acid is found in dark-green leafy veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. as well as beans and fortified fortified (fôrt  ´fīd),adj containing additives more potent than the principal ingredient. cereals. Vitamin B6 is abundantly found in fruits and veggies. Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, poultry, cheese, and fortified cereals. For those who won't increase their daily intake of fruits and veggies, a B-complex vitamin supplement is an alternative. Since these are water-soluble vitamins, they're quite safe. Any excess is excreted in the urine. Will eating these fruits and vegetables protect me from heart disease? No. Remember that homocysteine is only one possible piece to a complex puzzle. So, first watch your diet, get lots of exercise, and don't smoke. |
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