Homocysteine, Methylation and SAMe
A team from Harvard, lead by Dr Meir Stamfer, confirmed that heart attack risks are 300% greater for people with high homocysteine levels.
Other studies have concluded that high homocysteine levels indicate a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), heart attack, stroke, peripheral atherosclerosis (the accumulation of cholesterol and fat attached to artery walls), and venous thromboembolism (the blockage of a blood vessel by a migrating clot).
Although research results vary, the indications are that a concentration of just 4.5 micromolars of homocysteine per litre of blood can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
And this homocysteine-associated risk is multiplied significantly by smoking and hypertension
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"Elevated blood levels of homocysteine represent an independent risk factor for premature arterial vascular disease and thrombosis."
R H Fryer, B D Wilson, D B Gubler, L A Fitzgerald and G M Rodgers Department of Medicine, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City
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Homocysteine, is an amino acid produced by the liver as it processes protein. Although essential, if it enters the blood stream, homocysteine is highly toxic to blood vessel cells and stimulates blood clotting. These two factors are a potentially lethal combination capable of producing heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary embolisms.
Add to this its contribution to narrowing blood vessels in people with kidney disease or diabetes and you can see just how serious high homocysteine levels can be.
What's particularly disturbing is the fact that, according to research published in 'Circulation' in 1995, most adults in the USA probably have homocysteine levels more than three times the 'increased risk' level - which means if you have any of the other indicators such as a genetic predisposition or high cholesterol, then your chances of contracting or accelerating cardiovascular disease is substantially increased if you also have 'normal' to 'high' homocysteine levels.
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Fortunately, to reduce levels of Homocysteine is not difficult - It requires methylation. This is one of the essential biological processes that continually transforms millions of molecules in your body every second and is one of the keys to keeping DNA functioning normally.
And Homocysteine plays a vital role in methylation, acting as a carrier for the specific Methyl Group or molecule, HC3, that makes methylation happen.
When protein-rich foods like meat, fish and dairy products are digested, your body takes the amino acid, Methionine, that they contain and combines it with ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to create SAM (S-adenosylmethionine). Zinc and magnesium are also believed to be essential for this process. The SAM then quickly passes its Methyl Group on and in the process becomes Homocysteine which then picks up another Methyl Group and is converted back into Methionine and the process starts all over again.
It's important to realize that SAM doesn't neutralize Homocysteine, in fact, it can lead to excess levels of it - which is why SAM supplementation is not a good idea. Your better off stimulating your own natural SAM production mechanism.
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This is what happens when your body naturally converts Homocysteine:
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It uses vitamin B12 together with folic acid (folate) to generate MTFH (methyltetrahydrofolate) which then converts the Homocysteine back to Methionine which goes on to become SAM.
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It uses vitamin B6 to stimulate CBS (cystathionine B-synthase) activity. This enzyme converts the Homocysteine to Cystathionine.
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It utilizes an enzyme called Betaine Homocysteine Methyltransferase (BHMT) - produced from Choline - to convert the Homocysteine back to Methionine which again becomes SAM.
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It takes Trimethylglycine (TMG) and uses it to convert the Homocysteine to Methionine - converting the TMG to Dimethyglycine in the process.
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Normally, these exchanges take place within individual cells. But when the necessary nutrients are lacking, there's not enough Methyl Groups to go around and methylation slows down. This leads first to a build up of homocysteine which is pushed into the blood stream endangering your cardiovascular system and second to a reduction in SAM which puts your DNA at risk.
To avoid this: to stimulate methylation - reducing toxic Homocysteine levels and maintaining optimal levels of SAM production - you need a regular supply of the necessary nutrients.
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"Dietary supplementation with B vitamins lowers plasma Homocysteine by up to 30% . . . Folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation improves vascular endothelial function in patients with CHD, and this effect is likely to be mediated through reduced concentrations of free plasma homocysteine concentrations. Our data support the view that lowering homocysteine, through B vitamin supplementation, may reduce cardiovascular risk."
National Heart and Lung Institute (J.C.C., J.S.K.) Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
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The thing about vitamins though is that your body doesn't make them - you have to get them from food or supplements. As normal food processing methods eliminate vitamins and many supplements are passed through your body without being absorbed, you need to find the right sources.
Natural sources of folic acid include: liver (high in cholesterol), fruits, green leafy vegetables, beans, peanuts, wheat germ, whole grains and yeast.
Vitamin B6 is found in: fruits, beef, poultry, fish, bananas, yeast,
bran, nuts, certain vegetables (including artichoke, asparagus, beans and cabbage), and in fortified cereals (breakfast cereals)
Vitamin B12 is found in: liver, beef, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products.
A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products with minimal amounts of total fat, saturated fat or processing should help lower an individual's homocysteine level.
However, as the major food sources of vitamin B12 are protein-rich, they are also major sources of Methione - the very amino acid that gets converted into Homocysteine - and none of them are plant based. If you're a vegetarian, you'll need to take vitamin B12 supplements.
It may also be advisable for people who are particularly at risk to also include supplements as a way of addressing the problem.
Taking an appropriate supplement can be more beneficial than just eating healthy - if it has the right ingredients, in the right proportions and is easily absorbed into your cells.
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"Homocysteine induces atherosclerosis and Taurine prevents it"
Division of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
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