Homocysteine & Heart Health

You may have never heard of homocysteine.  In fact, some doctors don’t even know much about it.  But, it’s vital to know about  to ensure your heart health.

Homocysteine is a by-product that our bodies produce when breaking down an essential amino acid called methionine.  Methionine is common in foods we eat such as meat, eggs, milk, cheese, white flour, canned foods and generally, highly processed foods.  The more of these foods you eat, the more methionine you’ll have in your body, and the more homocysteine that will be produced.

If methionine is produced in lower amounts, our bodies can simply convert the homocysteine back into methionine or a harmless chemical called cysteine.  But, to do this, our body needs the B-vitamins B6, B12, and Folic Acid.  If we are deficient in these nutrients or there is simply too much homocysteine, the latter will start causing problems. 

Why is this a problem?

Homocysteine will irritate the inner walls of your arteries causing small lesions.  The body will attempt to repair the damage by patching the tears with LDL cholesterol, which acts as a sealing compound.  Thus, your liver is creating more bad cholesterol than you need for regular body function.  And, if the homocysteine causes the LDL cholesterol to become oxidized, the whole process of plaque formation and hardening of the arteries is off to the races. 

Over 40 major clinical studies have confirmed that homocysteine levels are a predictive marker for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. 

How Big Is The Homocysteine Problem?

It is estimated that 15% of all heart attacks and strokes in the world today (this means 225,000 heart attacks and 24,000 strokes in the U.S. alone) are caused by elevated homocysteine levels in the blood.  In fact, Dr. Ray Strand, in his landmark book "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You", wrote: "....homocysteine poses just as great a threat as cholesterol when it comes to cardiovascular disease". 

Further, a 1990 study of 15,000 physicians by a Harvard professor found that even mildly elevated blood homocysteine levels directly related to increased risk of heart disease.  Further, those with the highest levels of homocysteine experienced three times the risk of developing a heart attack compared to those with the lowest levels.

What Is A Safe Level Of Homocysteine?

Unlike cholesterol which has some important functions in the body, homocysteine has no health benefits.  The higher the level, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Fortunately, you can have a blood test done thru your doctor's office that will tell how much homocysteine is in your blood.  But you need to ask specifically to have it done.  Overall, a good level to shoot for is 7 micromols per liter, or less. But, if your level is over 12 micromols/liter, for example, you've got a big problem.  

How Can Cholestatrim^tm Help? 

Cholestatrim^tm addresses this problem in two ways.  First, by providing all 3 of the B-vitamins in sufficient amounts- B6, B12, and Folic Acid, your body can convert homocysteine back into a harmless form.  Second, Cholestatrim^tm employs powerful antioxidants such as Vitamin E to reduce the oxidation of the LDL cholesterol by homocysteine. This then prevents more of the oxidized LDL from becoming plaque deposits in your arteries.