Heart Disease: Homocysteine: A New Heart Disease Risk Factor

There has been a lot of talk lately about a compound called homocysteine and its relationship to heart health.

Homocysteine is a common amino acid (one of the building blocks that make up proteins) found in the blood and is acquired mostly from eating meat. High levels of homocysteine are related to the early development of heart and blood vessel disease. In fact, it is considered an independent risk factor for heart disease. High homocysteine is associated with low levels of vitamin B6, B12 and folate and renal disease. Researchers are currently trying to figure out whether reducing high homocysteine levels will actually reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

How Does Homocysteine Increase Heart Disease Risk?

Doctors aren't sure how homocysteine increases the risk of heart and blood vessel disease but there appears to be a link between high homocysteine levels and damage to the arteries, causing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and the formation of blood clots.

Do I Need to Have My Homocysteine Level Checked?

Currently, there is no universal recommendation for checking homocysteine in everyone. The test is still relatively expensive, isn't widely available, and is rarely covered by insurance.

However, the American Heart Association does say that testing for homocysteine is useful in people with other risk factors for heart disease or those who have a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, but do not have any of the standard risk factors.

Can High Homocysteine Levels Be Prevented?

High-risk patients with high homocysteine levels should increase their intake of B-vitamins (folic acid, vitamins B-12 and B-6). Folic acid and B vitamins help break down homocysteine in the body. These vitamins can be found in a wide variety of fruits, green, leafy vegetables, and grain products fortified with folic acid.

Doctors do not know for sure if lowering homocysteine levels will lower heart disease risk. More studies are underway.

Homocysteine is just one of the risk factors that may contribute to heart and blood vessel disease. A full risk factor profile should be evaluated by your doctor and proper steps should be taken to decrease your risk factors.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center.