Hemocysteine Levels and Damage to the Body

While there are many well known causes for heart disease which leads to heart attacks, there is another reason why one may develop a risk for heart problems. Homocysteine is an amino acid which we all have in our bodies. Inflammation can cause blood vessels in the body to become damaged. Homocysteine can cause such inflammation.

This natural amino acid is produced at elevated levels many times as a result of meat in ones diet. In addition to consuming meats the lack of folic acid and certain vitamins such as B12 and B6, can cause the level of homocysteine to increase in the body as well. Vitamins B12 and B6 help the body to break down homeysteine amino acids. Studies indicate that the higher amount of vitamin B a person has in their bodies the lower their homocysteine levels.

Because of the known benefits of vitamin B, many doctors routinely advise their patients who have heart issues to take this vitamin daily. In addition to vitamin B, folic acid should also be included in ones nutritional supplements each day as it is very difficult to get the necessary quantities from food intake alone.

Vitamin B is very essential to the human body and this is a vitamin which must be replaced daily. If one lacks in certain types of vitamin B, they can suffer stomach lining damage, irreversible nerve damage, and anemia. Many times when a person has a poor diet, vitamin B is at low levels in their body.

It is known that lack of calcium in the elderly can lead to broken bones. However, the elevation of homocysteine levels is also responsible for this occurrence in many cases. While lack of calcium is responsible for many loosing bone mass, homocysteine, is not responsible for this, however it causes damage to collagen.

Ones homecysteine levels become elevated leading to various health related issues in addition to heart attacks. When someone has increased levels of homocysteine in their body, the blood tends to clot when in a manner which is not normal. This increases the risk of strokes, and reduces the amount of blood which is allowed to flow to the brain. Some other complications can be Alzheimer's disease, and hardening of the arteries.