The Health Problems From High Homocysteine

Описание: Are you trying to get more information on the health problems caused by high homocysteine?
My name is Dr. Terranella, and in this video we're going to look at those specific things. What health conditions are you more susceptible to when you have high homocysteine? And specifically if those are independent of B12, folate, or B6 deficiency.
Reference : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
To understand the problems that come from elevated homocysteine levels, we first need to look at the research to understand the relationship of high homocysteine on human health.
What constitutes high homocysteine?

Different labs have different measurements or different parameters for what's considered high homocysteine. Some labs will designate anything over 10 micromoles per liter. Others will designate above 12 as high. In order to have hyperhomocysteinemia, the blood test needs to indicate a level over 15. So you can still have high levels, but in actual hyperhomocysteinemia, the level is going to be above 15. Optimal levels are usually going to be around seven to nine.
What does the research say about the impact of high homocysteine on human health?

Basically, hyperhomocysteinemia is a problem with too much homocysteine in the blood. This homocysteine is an amino acid that's floating around in the blood, and it's changed into different molecules as part of a cyclical pattern where one molecule turns into another and then turns into another and eventually turns back into homocystine. And these steps flow through enzymatic reactions, and those enzymes require certain B vitamins to do their job.

When the levels are high ongoing, it's thought that the homocysteine actually damages the blood vessels. And so high homocysteine levels have been associated with various health conditions. I'm going to tell you about all of them, and I'm going to highlight a few of them.
Health conditions associated with high homocysteine
Cardiovascular disease
Venous thrombosis
Mental health and cognitive impairment
Bone problems
Eye problems
Complications in pregnancy
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease and venous thrombosis

The link between cardiovascular disease and venous thrombosis is that the homocysteine is thought to damage the blood vessels in such a way that it creates more of a risk for clotting. And the exact mechanism behind this is not really clearly delineated. But there is this very common and clear association with hyperhomocysteinemia and DVTs and cardiovascular disease.

Mental health problems and cognitive impairment

We're going to go into more detail on this in another video, but basically it's probably linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety. Due to the effects of, not the homocysteine itself, but the deficiency of the B vitamins causing homocysteine to be high.
Bone problems

So the bone problems I was not actually aware of prior to doing a little bit of research on this one, but high homocysteine levels are thought to weaken the bones and increase the risk for osteoporosis. There are several studies showing this, and I'll put a link to some of them in the description. One study found that women with higher homocysteine levels had lower bone mineral density and higher risk for fractures, and the authors suggested that the homocystine may be playing some of the role in collagen cross-linking and bone reabsorption. Other studies have suggested the same thing, but there may, may be simpler than that, that there's just an overall nutritional deficiency in these people. And people with high homocysteine are not only deficient in vitamins, but also calcium, vitamin D and other things. These studies weren't adjusted for in that way.

Eye problems

Eye problems in high homocysteine are associated, again with the damage of the homocysteine to the blood vessels. So this seems to be the reoccurring theme for hyperhomocysteinemia. The main impact that it seems to have independent of deficiency and B vitamins is damaging the blood vessels through some pro-inflammatory thing.

Pregnancy
Yeah, you're gonna have more complications like pre-eclampsia due to the high homocysteine's effect on the blood vessels. But of course, pregnancy is also requires a lot of genetics to, you know, make new DNA, making new cells, new tissues, nervous system tissues, etc. And if you have a high homocysteine, it suggests a B12 or folate deficiency, which is problematic for someone that is making a new baby inside of them. So it's important to test for people to check if they are getting pregnant or planning on it.
Conclusion

So, in conclusion, high homocysteine levels are associated with a number of health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, venous thrombosis, mental health problems and cognitive impairment, bone problems