High homocysteine

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Yearly physical, labs were all very good except for homocysteine, it came back at 19.5.

Googling high homocysteine has me freaked, 5 times chance of stroke, heart attack, alzheimers, etc.

Doc wants to put me on a folate suppliment.

Any Docs here want to comment on high homocysteine, is it really as bad as what I read? Do I have a target on my back? Is there anything I can do?

I already run 4 miles 5 days a week, do sittups, pushups, etc. Cholesterol is good, LDL 89, HDL 53. I eat decent portions of veggies and friut, and rarely eat red meat.
 
Unregistered said:
Yearly physical, labs were all very good except for homocysteine, it came back at 19.5.

Googling high homocysteine has me freaked, 5 times chance of stroke, heart attack, alzheimers, etc.

Doc wants to put me on a folate suppliment.

Any Docs here want to comment on high homocysteine, is it really as bad as what I read? Do I have a target on my back? Is there anything I can do?

I already run 4 miles 5 days a week, do sittups, pushups, etc. Cholesterol is good, LDL 89, HDL 53. I eat decent portions of veggies and friut, and rarely eat red meat.
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I do not believe that is commonly used as a risk stratifier for vascular events but I will check with somebody on this one. I remember reading that treating elevated homocysteine does not reduce vascular events but do not know of the specific reference other than WebMD which is a patient information source. Yor LDL and HDL look good and this is probably a much better predictor of risk. I will try to get better info. More later I've got to go.

Research has shown, however, that reducing your homocysteine levels with vitamins does not reduce your risk of heart disease. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/homocysteine-risk
 
Jeez if it isn't ldl, it's cholecalciferol levels. If not that, it's C-reactive protein......and now it's homocysteine.
Where will this end??
 
Gary F said:
Here are links to reliable information on this issue.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Getti...Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_305997_Article.jsp

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100622161253.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202172302.htm
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Thanks!

So, folic acid and the other B's reduce homocysteine, do not correlate to less cardiovascular disease related issues. On the other hand, maybe a daily aspirin program will. Time to talk to the Doc...
 
If you want to reduce your risk for coronary disease or stroke:
1. Don't smoke or use anything with tobacco or nicotine.
2. Maintain blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol (LDL,HDL,triglycerides) in an acceptable range. It helps to have a normal body weight.
3. Exercise regularly (brisk walk or equivalent) for a minimum 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week, more is better.
4. Choose your parents carefully.
 
What he said, and eat a healthy vegetarian diet. Just got my blood work back and I'm AOK, except heightened uric acid levels, which can (and in me do) cause a condition known as gout. Very painful.

That said, gout and allergies are my only health problems. I don't even exercise like I should, and I am the only one of my siblings who doesn't have problems with blood pressure and cholesterol and all that.
 
Gary F said:
If you want to reduce your risk for coronary disease or stroke:
1. Don't smoke or use anything with tobacco or nicotine.
2. Maintain blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol (LDL,HDL,triglycerides) in an acceptable range. It helps to have a normal body weight.
3. Exercise regularly (brisk walk or equivalent) for a minimum 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week, more is better.
4. Choose your parents carefully.
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1. Don't smoke, no coffee, soda, chips.
2. All good. 6'2", 195. I'd like to be 185, but 195 isn't bad. Still, I work at it.
3. Run 4 miles 5 days a week, do situps and pushups every night.
4. I'm boned: Dad had septuple bypass and heart attack, has lung cancer, still chugging. Mom passed due to lung cancer. (both heavy smokers early in life) Ref. #3 above, I'm trying to outrun heredity.
 
steingar said:
What he said, and eat a healthy vegetarian diet. Just got my blood work back and I'm AOK, except heightened uric acid levels, which can (and in me do) cause a condition known as gout. Very painful.

That said, gout and allergies are my only health problems. I don't even exercise like I should, and I am the only one of my siblings who doesn't have problems with blood pressure and cholesterol and all that.
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From a vascular disease perspective a vegetarian diet is better than one with animal except fish is OK. I have been trying to get my wife to start preparing more meatless meals but so far only very limited success. She is a real carnivore and I am a lousy cook.
Unregistered said:
1. Don't smoke, no coffee, soda, chips.
2. All good. 6'2", 195. I'd like to be 185, but 195 isn't bad. Still, I work at it.
3. Run 4 miles 5 days a week, do situps and pushups every night.
4. I'm boned: Dad had septuple bypass and heart attack, has lung cancer, still chugging. Mom passed due to lung cancer. (both heavy smokers early in life) Ref. #3 above, I'm trying to outrun heredity.
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You may have a genetic issue due to your father's history of CAD but smoking is a huge risk factor so you are probably at lower risk unless you smoke. Your BMI is about 25 which is fine as far as I am concerned. I would not sweat the homocysteine level if you do not have any other significant risk factors.
 
When he says smoking is a huge risk factor, it should be in a big font and bold face type. I did 3 years of nursing in a cath lab helping docs like him do angiograms and stents. Most, dang near all, who were smokers on out table had significant disease.

Item 4 is funny, but also a biggie.
 
Doggtyred said:
When he says smoking is a huge risk factor, it should be in a big font and bold face type. I did 3 years of nursing in a cath lab helping docs like him do angiograms and stents. Most, dang near all, who were smokers on out table had significant disease.

Item 4 is funny, but also a biggie.
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When a relatively young person (under 50) has really nasty heart attack (ST elevation MI) they are almost always a smoker. About 25% of people with this type of heart attack die before they get to the hospital. We had a 32 y/o mother of three kids come in with one and nearly died that night. Fortunately she quit smoking but many do not.
 
I can't do much to alleviate your concern, which is appropriate. We actually know very little about this condition other than that homocysteinurics have a much earlier onset of Cardiovascular troubles, and resistant stone disease.

We have NO data (like we do for Atherosclerosis) that risk intervention improves survival.

I can tell you that there are diets low in homocysteine which do reduce levels but the diet is PAINFULLY hard to do and without evidence that it improves survival, it's tough to recommend.....
 
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