Failing vision and heart disease are not the only health issues caused by high levels of homocysteine.
New research shows a strong link between high concentrations of this amino acid and later development of Alzheimers disease and failing memory. Researchers followed about 1,000 men and women, average age 76, as part of the famous Framingham study, and measured their homocysteine levels in 1976-1978. The APOE E4 gene, associated with Alzheimers was also tested. Of the 1,000 participants, 111 subsequently developed Alzheimers disease.
That is a whopping 10% of the total. But those with the highest levels of homocysteine had nearly double the risk.
Action to take: Heres another reason to monitor your homocysteine, a test I routinely perform. If your memory is failing or if you have macular degeneration, its especially important that you ask your doctor to test you.
You can bring homocysteine levels down with a cocktail of vitamins B6 (100 mg), B12 (by injection), folic acid (800 mcg), and DMG (100 mg) or TMG (500 mg) taken daily.
I’ve found that supplemental vitamin B12 is the most beneficial of the group. This is one condition where I routinely resort to B12 injections. There are new and effective oral B12 supplements. But when it comes to lowering homocysteine, I never hesitate to use the injection.
Ref: New England Journal of Medicine, February 9, 2006.