Homocysteine Levels Not as Important as Thought

A new study has found that levels of homocysteine in a patient's blood may not be as helpful as was once thought in predicting heart attacks and strokes in healthy people. The study was published in the October 23/30, 2002, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

A team from the University of Oxford (UK), headed by Dr. Robert Clarke, conducted a meta-analysis, blending data from 30 different studies. These involved almost 17,000 people who collectively had suffered 5,073 heart attacks and 1,113 strokes. After allowing for such risk factors as smoking and high blood pressure, Dr. Clarke's team found that people who lowered their homocysteine levels 25% lowered their risk of heart attack 11% and their risk of stroke 19%.

Earlier studies found a much higher correlation between homocysteine and heart attack or stroke. While the current finding shows a less important role for homocysteine than prior studies, it still indicates a significant association between homocysteine and heart problems. About 20 new studies are still under way, all of which involve the administration of vitamins B6 and B12 as well as folic acid to healthy individuals and then waiting five years or more to see how many of them develop heart problems.




Related Links:
Oxford Univ.