Homocysteine
Homocysteine (ho-mo-sist-een) is an amino acid in the blood
stream. It is necessary to build some proteins but high levels
can increase the risk of developing heart disease or
atherosclerosis. Levels above 13 umol/L are considered too high.
The B vitamins are responsible for changing homocysteine into
other useful amino acids. Increasing your intake of the B
vitamins can help reduce the homocysteine level and hopefully also
reduce your risk of heart disease. The B vitamins in a healthy
diet are the best. A diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables
has high B vitamins. But some vitamin supplements such as
Metanx may be needed to reduce the homocysteine.