Do Elevated Homocysteine Levels Increase Risk For Alzheimer'sDisease?

Like many people, you may be asking "what is homocysteine" and wondering how itcould increase your risk of having Alzheimer's Disease. Homocysteine is anamino acid produced naturally by the body, but too much homocysteine in theblood is toxic and can lead to damage and blockage of the arteries and bloodvessels.This makes elevated homocysteine levels a risk factor for vascular disease likeheart disease and stroke. During the last ten years research has revealed apossible connection between vascular disease and the Alzheimer's Disease andother kinds of dementia. "The New England Journal of Medicine" recentlypublished a study that indicates that elevated levels of homocysteine may itselfmay increase older people's risk of Alzheimer's Disease and other forms ofdementia.About the study:A group of researchers at Boston University and Tufts University in Boston beganstudying a subgroup of participants of the Framingham Study during the periodbetween 1986 and 1990.The Framingham Study participants had been having complete physical exams andanswering lifestyle questionnaires every two years since 1948. The subgroup wascomprised of 1,092 men and women with an average age of 76. Participants in thesubgroup were all free of any dementia at their 20th biennial exam. Theseoccurred between the years 1986 and 1990. Blood homocysteine levels were checkedat both the 20th and 16th biennial exams,Participants of the subgroup underwent additional tests beyond those required bythe Framingham Study protocol. Each participant of the subgroup had tests fordementia during the biennial exam from 1986 to December 2000. The results wereevaluated by two neurologists and a neuropsychologist. Each participant was alsotested for an apolipoprotein E gene - a known risk factor for Alzheimer'sDisease.The participant's medical records were reviewed by researchers form their 20thbiennial exam through December 2000 along with their homocysteine measurementsrecorded from their 16th biennial exam. They were specifically looking at howhomocysteine blood levels correlated with Alzheimer's Disease or other dementia.Research findings:It was found that an increase of 5 micromoles of homocysteine per liter of bloodincreased the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by 40%. People with the highest levelsof blood homocysteine had almost double the risk of Alzheimer's and otherdementia as compared to people with lower blood homocysteine. This determinationwas made after accounting for other risk factors.It is important to note that the statistics held true for homocysteine levelsfrom both the 16th and 20th biennial exams. Since Alzheimer's Disease developsslowly, it may be the disease process had begun in some study participants atthe 20th biennial exam but was not yet measurable. It would be very unlikely theparticipants were really free of disease at the 16th biennial exam, eight yearsprior.What does this mean to you?We do know that elevated homocysteine levels may increase the risk of heartdisease and stroke. The study finding now suggest that elevated homocysteinelevels may also increase our risk of Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions ofdementia as we age. However, they didn't go as far as proving elevatedhomocysteine levels an indicator of future Alzheimer's Disease. The participantsage ranged from 68 years to 97 years which makes it unclear whether youngeradults might be at increased risk of Alzheimer's later in life if they haveelevated homocysteine levels.Having said that, several other studies do suggest that keeping homocysteinelevels in check may help prevent blood vessel damage and prevent atherosclerosis(hardening of the arteries). The good news is that it is easy to keep yourhomocysteine levels in the safe range.Vitamin B-12, folic acid and vitamin B-6 when taken in food or supplements hasbeen shown to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood. Although we don't yetknow if this will also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease, the knownbenefits make it worthwhile to make sure you obtain adequate supplies of thesenutrients through diet and supplementation.Foods containing folic acid include:* Fruits and orange juice from concentrate* Green, leafy vegetables* Dried beans and legumes* Liver* Grain products that have been fortified with folic acid, such as cereal,pasta, rice, and breadFoods containing Vitamin B-12 include:* Liver and other meats such as pork and beef* Eggs* Milk and other milk productsVegetarians should note: they must supplement to get their vitamin B-12 asfruits and vegetables contain no vitamin B-12.REFERENCES:Seshadri S, et al. "Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for dementia andAlzheimer's Disease", "New England Journal of Medicine", February 14,2002;346(7):476-483.Loscalzo J., "Homocysteine and dementias", "New England Journal of Medicine",February 14, 2002;346(7):466-468.Tom Nuckels owns LpVitamins.com. Customers range from children to the elderly,from carpenters to doctors. Learn what liquid vitamins and phytonutrients can dofor you, visit http://www.lpvitamins.comRead articles at http://www.lpvitamins.com/anti-aging-natural-supplements.htm