The role of elevated levels of homocysteine, a naturally occurring amino acid in the body, is gradually becoming recognized as a significant factor in ageing and for a whole host of diseases including heart disease, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer.  Various factors have been identified that can lower homocysteine especially the nutrients folic acid, Vitamins B6 and B12 and Trimethlyglycine (TMG) and also physical exercise.

Objectives: To determine the effect of a nutritional supplement containing the above nutrients in therapeutic doses on the homocysteine levels of healthy individuals that engage in exercise, as measured by a pin-prick blood test.
 
Method: This randomised controlled trial recruited 100 participants from two local leisure centres and from a college of natural medicine. Blood plasma homocysteine levels were measured by means of the YorkTest plasma separator home test kit, at baseline and after 6 weeks of supplementation, and analysed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at their laboratory. Participants were randomly assigned to take either a combined nutrient supplement (AOR Homocysteine plus), that has been formulated with the aim of lowering homocysteine, or a vegetable cellulose placebo. Assignment was made according to a random number generator and masking was achieved by means of third party coding of identical active and placebo containers. Exercise levels and food frequency were assessed by means of questionnaires.
 
Results: Results were analysed for 84 patients at baseline. Descriptive statistics showed that data was normalized and randomisation achieved as there was no significant difference between treatment and control group homocysteine levels at baseline ((F = .277, p> 0.05). Homocysteine was found to be significantly related to age (Pearson r = .282, p< 0.01), dietary folate intake (Pearson r = -.472, p<0.01) and exercise level (One way ANOVA F=10.410, p <0.01) but not gender

(independent t- test F= .002, p >0.05).  A paired-t-test of 30 post-intervention scores showed a significant decrease in homocysteine for the treatment group (t= 0.646, p<0.05) but no significant difference for controls (t= 0.646, p>0.050).
 
Conclusion: The AOR combined nutrient supplement was found to effectively lower homocysteine regardless of level of baseline homocysteine. Many reductions were > 3 µmol/L homocysteine, indicative of a significant reduction in disease risk. Regular, ‘moderate’ levels of exercise seem to yield the lowest homocysteine measures. The Yorktest pin-prick homocysteine test was an effective tool for identifying undetected high levels of homocysteine in healthy members of leisure centres and for evaluating the efficacy of the combined nutrient supplement on homocysteine levels

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood. Epidemiological studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood (plasma) is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Recent findings suggest that laboratory testing for plasma homocysteine levels can improve the assessment of risk. It’s particularly useful in patients with a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, but in whom the well-established risk factors (smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure) do not existHomocysteine levels can also increase with age, when a patient smokes, and with the use of drugs such as carbamazepine, methotrexate, and phenytoin.

How can I lower a high homocysteine level?

Eating more fruits and vegetables (especially leafy green vegetables) can help lower your homocysteine level by increasing how much folate you get in your diet. Good sources of folate include many breakfast cereals, fortified grain prodcuts, lentils, asparagus, spinach and most beans.
If adjusting your diet is not enough to lower your homocysteine, your doctor may suggest that you take a folate supplement. You may also need to take a vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 supplement.

If you don’t have enough vitamin B-6 in your diet, foods like fortified breakfast cereals, potatoes, bananas, garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) and chicken are good sources. Dairy products, organ meats (such as liver), beef and some types of fish are good sources of vitamin B-12 .

Homocysteine is the key indicator for heart & brain health, take the homocysteine test today and put your mind at rest!