What is the normal homocysteine levels in blood? How does homocysteine damage arteries?
I've never heard of homocysteine. Is it a serious risk factor? While some research as far back as 2001 showed that homocysteine was a risk factor, it was only recently that we found out the major role it may play in heart disease. Homocysteine is one of the many amino acids (the building blocks of our bodies’ proteins) found in the blood. Many clinical laboratories are now measuring it. Higher levels of homocysteine cause heart disease by increasing the tendency of blood to clot and by damaging the walls of the arteries, which favors cholesterol deposits. It was thought that normal levels of homocysteine were between 5 and 12 micromoles per liter, but new evidence points out that you should be concerned when your level is over 9 micromoles per liter. Moreover, it appears that an increase in your blood homocysteine level of even a few units increases your risk of heart disease: a 5 unit increase could be as bad as a 30 milligram increase in blood cholesterol. Although high lev...