Amino acids: Key to a healthier heart? Posted on 03/04/2007 6:07:28 PM PST by Coleus
Amino acids: Key to a healthier heart? Could taking a few B vitamins cut your risk of a heart attack or a stroke? That's the suggestion from a study published last week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The key is an amino acid called homocysteine, a substance made when the protein we eat is digested — already there is growing evidence to link it with cardiovascular disease, and even stroke. Homocysteine — with the help of the B vitamins including B12 and folate — is rapidly turned into other useful compounds such as the amino acids cysteine and taurine which are needed for heart health.
But if you don't have enough vitamin B, homocysteine becomes positively bad for you. For instance, homocysteine makes it more likely that LDL cholesterol — the 'bad' cholesterol in your system — is oxidised, which makes it even more dangerous to the blood vessels. Homocysteine also reduces supplies of nitric oxide which helps to keep blood vessels flexible, so they become stiffer when your homocysteine levels go up. It also seems to damage the lining of blood vessels. Some experts now believe that knowing your homocysteine level is as important as having your cholesterol checked. However, what's not been clear is whether we should try to lower high homocysteine with vitamin B to reduce the risk of heart disease. Cardiologists have been scrapping over this for years.
That's where this week's analysis in the BMJ comes in. Researchers at Imperial College School of Medicine in London concluded that a '3 micromolar' reduction in homocysteine — which you can get by taking 0.8mg of folic acid a day — reduces risk of heart attack and stroke. Many cardiologists are not convinced by this because two large-scale trials published in a top American journal concluded that taking B vitamins after having a heart attack or stroke didn't reduce the chance of having another one. 'Such a therapy may even be harmful and should not be recommended,' said the lead researcher from Toronto University. All this debate means that official bodies say more trials are needed. However that hasn't stopped some practitioners from advising patients to bring their homocysteine levels down with supplements and diet.
One of these was Christine Ellis, who went to the Brain Bio clinic in London after she had had a stroke. A scan revealed that the 57-year-old, who was on blood pressure treatment, had a clot on the brain which had come from a coronary artery that was almost completely blocked. A test at the clinic found her homocysteine level was 22 micromolar — proponents of the homocysteine theory say over 12 micromolar is high and 6 micromolar is ideal. Christine began taking vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid, plus a multivitamin daily. Two months later her homocysteine score has dropped to 7.6 and her blood pressure is down to around 120/ 75 — a reading considered good for someone nearly 30 years younger.
Impressive as such case histories are, they are not going to lead to B vitamin prescriptions and homocysteine testing on the NHS. For that, positive results from placebo-controlled trials are what's needed, which is what Professor David Smith — director of Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) — is hoping for. 'There's good evidence to link high homocysteine with poor memory in older patients,' he says. 'And studies have found that people with homocysteine levels above 12 micromolar have three times the risk of damage to brain cells. What's more, scans show that the brains of Alzheimer's patients who have high homocysteine shrink faster.' He's running a double-blind trial to find out if you can slow down this shrinking by lowering homocysteine with several B vitamins, but the results won't be out till 2008. A recent report found that giving extra folic acid to elderly people whose level of vitamin B12 is low, common at that age, makes them more likely to have anaemia and mental problems. 'It's a puzzling effect,' says Prof Smith. 'We don't understand why it happens, but it does alert us to a possible risk of high folate in some people.'
Ihave been taking 2000 mg of vitamen b3 niacin for several years.
It lowers cholesterol and controls type 2 diabetes.
It also seems to increase my resistance to colds.
I've been prescribed 500mg a day.
I get the niacin flush and become itchy and turn beet red. If you take sustained-released niacin, you may want to get your liver enzymes checked
You've been busy posting lately! Good stuff all around.
Thanks Coleus.
ping
A spread of Vegemite (5g) on a slice of bread will provide the following percentages of daily vitamin needs:
Daily Intake (RDI) Per 5g Per 100g, is as follows. Thiamine: 50% 11.0mg
Niacin: 25% 50.0mg
Riboflavin: 25% 8.6mg
Folate: 50%** 2000 µg
**Recommended Dietary Intake for adults is 200µg or for women of child bearing age, 400µg. It is important to maintain a varied diet
Thiamine (B1) plays an essential role in converting carbohydrates to energy, as well as being important for growth and normal functioning of the nervous system and heart.
Riboflavin (B2) is also important for the release of energy from foods, in particular protein metabolism. Riboflavin is essential for the development and repair of tissues, including the skin and eyes and is necessary for growth.
Niacin (B3) is necessary for normal energy metabolism.
Folate Folate is another B group vitamin with several important functions. Folate is essential for the formation of red blood cells and the production of enzymes and other body proteins. A deficiency in folate results in a type of anaemia, which can cause weakness, tiredness, diarrhoea and weight loss. In babies and young children growth may be affected. Folate also plays a vital role in the growth of a developing embryo. Research has revealed that the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect can be reduced up to 70% if women increase their intake of folate.
No Fat & Low in Kilojoules. Vegemite is fat free and low in kilojoules, supplying only 38kj per teaspoon.
(Looks and tastes like salty axle grease, but aussies love it.)
Wonderful -- I'll go take my vitamins for the day now. LOL! No, really I had forgotten them.
That appears to be the article that the Daily Mail is referencing. The problem with folic acid supplementation is that it can mask a B12 deficiency, and that isn't good. You can get a pernicious anemia, but some folks get neurological deficits before the anemia becomes manifest. When someone presents with a severe change in mental status, among other things to rule out are folic acid and B12 deficiencies.
A scan revealed that the 57-year-old, who was on blood pressure treatment, had a clot on the brain which had come from a coronary artery that was almost completely blocked.
That statement doesn't make anatomical sense unless there's an abnormal communication between a coronary artery and the arch of the aorta.
Elevated homocysteine levels are also associated with deep vein thrombosis, aka clots. If they dislodge and get to the lungs, your in a world of hurt with a pulmonary embolism.
Geez, I think I'd rather take vitamins than have to eat Vegemite.
It's not worth it. ;')
I have a jar in the fridge that's been there for three years, the stuff never goes off!
About once a year I spread a little on toast. It works. Haven't had a heart attack yet.
My mother has been taking it for years for stroke prevention.
Ping,
Just what I've said for years... and then some
I assume you're aware of the research that you should be taking it in one dose once a day? Sustained niacin (the flushing kind) that lasts day in and day out can cause liver damage in about 10-15 percent of people.
OTOH, there are well-designed studies that show folks who take statins AND niacin at high doses have a 90% reduction in heart attacks.
So it's worth it. But make sure it's a single dose per day.
.....OTOH, there are well-designed studies that show folks who take statins AND niacin at high doses have a 90% reduction in heart attacks.....
Ok, I tried to save typing a few words and didn't mention the statin.
I started on niacin, no flush. Niacin alone didn't adjust the numbers to suit my doctor. He added Lipator after one year. That did the job and adjusted all the numbers to acceptable levels. At my next annual, he suggested switching to Advicor, a 2000 mg time release tablet with a statin included. I have been taking that combinatio for 2 years now. I take it a bed time and the flush takes place while I'm asleep.
Lastly, I take one 325 mg aspiirin as well. I carry 2 aspirin tablets with me all the time..... a heart attack first aid kit. It is now pretty well established that two aspirin chewed at the onset of symptoms can reduce or eliminate big damage.
Regarding liver damage, there are lots of drugs that can daqmage your liver. My doctor kept a close eye on my numbers and liver function via 60 day lab checks. Once it was pretty well assured the treatment was ok, the extra lab checks ceased.
Spring is coming and my regular exercise will resume. I just don't get outdoors much in the winter like I use to. Exercise seems to have the most positive effect of all the rest.
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