There is an association between serum homocysteine concentration and cardiovascular disease, but it is not known whether the association is causal. [L]
Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood. A healthcare practitioner may order a homocysteine test to determine if a person has a vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, because homocysteine concentrations may become elevated before B12 and folate tests are abnormal. Symptoms of B12 / folate deficiency are initially subtle and nonspecific but may include:
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Fatigue, weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Paleness
- Rapid heart rate
- Shortness of breath
Frequently, this test is also recommended for malnourished individuals, the elderly (who often absorb less vitamin B12 from their diet), and individuals with poor nutrition—such as drug or alcohol addicts. Although the role homocysteine plays in the progression of cardiovascular disease has not been established, it may be used to screen individuals at high risk for heart attack or stroke. Finally, a homocysteine blood test can be used to identify a rare, inherited disease called homocystinuria, which causes a deficiency of one of several enzymes needed to convert food to energy.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12450889
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC135491/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/189991
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/391361
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29979619
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4326479/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/189991
Low levels of homocysteine in the blood are generally a sign of good health. If you’re taking vitamins such as daily folic acid, vitamin B12, or niacin, then these may contribute to a low blood homocysteine score.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get your interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
A high level of homocysteine may indicate malnutrition or vitamin B12 / folate deficiency. When we don’t get enough vitamin B12 / folate in our diet our bodies may not be able to convert homocysteine to forms that can be used, causing the level of homocysteine in the blood to increase. There are also some studies that suggest that high intake of coffee may contribute to elevated homocysteine levels [L]
There is some evidence to suggest that people with elevated homocysteine levels have a much greater risk of heart attack or stroke than those with average levels [L]; however, the use of homocysteine levels for risk assessment of cardiovascular disease is uncertain [L].
In newborns, greatly increased concentrations of homocysteine in the urine and blood are likely indicative of homocystinuria.
In the The Hordaland Homocysteine Study elevated plasma homocysteine level was associated with major components of the cardiovascular risk profile, ie, male sex, old age, smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol level, and lack of exercise.
It is worth noting that women going through menopause typically have abnormal homocysteine levels and hence a mildly increased risk for cardiovascular disease [L].
Those on a healthy plant-based diet with elevated homocysteine levels despite taking sufficient vitamin B12 may want to consider taking a gram a day of contaminant-free creatine to lower Homocysteine levels [L, L]
---
Possible genetic dispositions/mutation in the methylation gene MTHFR:
There are some gene variations that can relate to high homocysteine levels (=Hyperhomocysteinemia). Certain genetic factors can cause elevated homocysteine levels, such as C667T substitution of the gene encoding methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase.
- Common folate gene variant
- C677T or rs1801133 is a genetic variation (a single nucleotide polymorphism-SNP) in the MTHFR gene.
The gene variation can be homozygous or heterozygous. Homozygous means that both copies of a gene or locus match while heterozygous means that the copies do not match. If you are homozygous for C677T of MTHFR, you potentially only have a 10-20% efficiency in processing folic acid, hence your elevated homocysteine, low B12 and folate levels.
If you want to find out whether you have a genetic disposition you can get your DNA sequenced through a service such as 23andme.com. Once you have your results you can browse your raw data. Search for "rs1801133" to see your genotype. Alternatively, you can use a free 3rd party service like CodeGen.eu. Download your raw data from the initial sequencer as a zip file and upload that file into CodeGen. Once the data has been processed (it takes a few minutes), you can then search for your rs1801133 there.
Homozygous rs1801133(T;T) individuals have ~30% of the expected MTHFR enzyme activity, and rs1801133(C;T) heterozygotes have ~65% activity, compared to the most common genotype, rs1801133(C;C).
For more information on the genetic disposition, please refer to Gene by Gene Approach and Plan of Action – MTHFR C677T +/+ or +/-
Possible treatment options:
You have to make sure that you have ample supplementation of the methyl-versions of Folate (=methy-folate) and B12 (=methyl-cobalamin). It's important that you take the methyl-versions as they are bioavailable. Re-test and adjust supplement regimen if necessary.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report, and we'll interpret and provide you with recommendations today.
Get StartedMonthly plan
Annual plan
Own it for life
Our exclusive data entry service is a convenient way to get your results into your private dashboard. Simply attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and one of our qualified data entry team members will add the results for you. We support all sorts of files, whether PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is excellent whether you have a lot of reports to upload or are too busy to do the data entry yourself.
We strive to make the data entry process easy for you. Whether by offering dozens of templates to choose from that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels or by giving you instant feedback on the entered values. Our data entry forms are an easy, fast, and convenient way to enter the reports yourself. There is no limit on how many lab reports you can upload.
$15 /month
billed every month
Most popular
Data entry included
$79 /year
$6.60/month billed annually
Data entry included
$250 /once
own it for life
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Monthly Plus
for health professionals
$75 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, Adiponectin, Albumin/Creatinine Ratio, Random Urine, Anti-Thyroglobulin ab. (0-39), C-Peptide, Serum, C-Peptide, Ultrasensitive (Endocrine Sciences), Ceruloplasmin, Creatinine, Random Urine, Cyclic AMP, Plasma, Dihydrotestosterone (female), Dihydrotestosterone (male), Estimated Average Glucose (eAG), Free Androgen Index, Free testosterone, Free Testosterone, Direct (Female), Free Testosterone, Direct (Male), Free Thyroxine, Free Thyroxine Index, Fructosamine, Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase, Glycated Serum Protein (GSP), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), HOMA-B, HOMA-IR, HOMA-S, Homocysteine, Insulin (Fasting), Insulin Antibody, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I (IGF-1), Iodine, Serum/Plasma, Parathyroid Hormone (PTH), Serum, Pregnenolone, Proinsulin, Reverse T3, Serum, Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG), T3, Free (Triiodothyronine), T4, Free, T4, Total (Thyroxine), T7 Index, Testost., % Free+Weakly Bound, Testost., % Free+Weakly Bound (female), Testost., F+W Bound (female), Testosterone, Testosterone (Female/Child), Testosterone, bioavailable, Testosterone, Serum (Female), Thyroglobulin, Thyroglobulin Antibodies (0 - 1 IU/L), Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Anti-TPO Ab), Thyroid Stim Immunoglobulin, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Thyrotropin Receptor Ab, Serum, Thyroxine-binding globulin, TBG, TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide), Total T3, Tri iodothyronine (T3) Uptake, Triiodothyronine, Serum, TSH Receptor Antibody (TBII)