Lowering homocysteine levels‏

Most people seem to know their cholesterol level; however, they rarely know their homocysteine levels. Physicians just do not order this test routinely. The homocysteine level should be below 7, and higher levels cause greater risks of developing cardiovascular disease. Even though physicians may tell you that a homocysteine level of 12 or lower is fine, I would encourage you to try to get this level below 7. First, I would recommend taking 1,000 mcg of folic acid, 50 to 150 mg of vitamin B12, and 25 to 50 mg of vitamin B6. If you are one of those individuals who does not totally respond to B vitamins, you can consider adding Betaine (Trimethylglycine or TMG) to reduce your homocysteine levels. I recommend starting with 1 gram daily and building up to as much as 5 to 6 grams if necessary to get your homocysteine level down below 7, or at least below 8.

There have now been over 50 clinical trials that have shown that those individuals who have elevated homocysteine levels are not only at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease but also Alzheimer’s dementia and various cancers. Yet, there have not been any good studies showing that lowering your homocysteine levels actually decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke. My personal feeling is that they do not lower the homocysteine level enough and that there is very little difference between the control subjects and the treated group. Since we know that elevated homocysteine levels are definitely a risk factor for patients, wouldn’t it be best to lower their homocysteine levels to the safe range? If you would like to know your homocysteine level and your doctor will not order it, members of my “Online Medical Practice” located at http://www.drraystrand.com/ can order this blood test in the US through my web site.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Homocysteine a major cause of inflammation of your arteries‏

Homocysteine is a by-product of protein metabolism (methionine). Dr. Kilmer McCully, a pathologist and researcher, noted two children (one age 3 and one age 6) who died because of suffering a heart attack. These children had a disease called homocystinuria. They were born with a genetic defect that did not allow them to break down homocysteine into more benign products. Therefore, these children had extremely high homocysteine levels. This led Dr. McCully to postulate that normal people who had moderately elevated levels of homocysteine over a lifetime would possibly be at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

We now realize that even mildly elevated homocysteine levels cause significant inflammation of our arteries. In fact, nearly 15% of the heart attacks and strokes are are caused by too much homocysteine in your blood. This is truly sad when you realize that the main reason homocysteine levels are high in some individuals is because they have an underlying vitamin B deficiency. By taking folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 in supplementation at optimal levels, you can reduce homocysteine levels to a very safe range nearly 70% of the time. For just pennies a day you can eliminate one of the major causes of inflammation of your arteries.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Fish oil is more effective in reducing heart attacks than are statin drugs‏

One of the “claims to fame” for the statin drugs is the fact that clinical trials have shown that they reduce the risk of having a heart attack. As I mentioned in a previous “Health Nugget,” researchers are not sure whether this is the result of lowering the cholesterol or because of the natural anti-inflammatory properties. In 2005, a clinical trial reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine compared people who took statin drugs with those who just took fish oil capsules. Both these groups were compared to a control group that took a placebo. One of the amazing characteristics of fish oil is that it contains large amounts of essential fats. These fats are the healthy, good fats that not only lower cholesterol and raise the HDL or good cholesterol, but they also significantly decrease inflammation in our bodies including our arteries.

The statin group decreased mortality by 10% over the placebo group; however, the fish oil group decreased mortality by 20% over the placebo group. In other words, the participants who took the fish oil capsules had twice the benefit of those who took the statin drugs. Reducing inflammation is the key to reducing your risk of having a heart attack, which is one of the main causes of death today. Since fish oil capsules pose absolutely no risk to the participant, it is certainly a great idea to supplement a healthy diet with purified, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil capsules.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Should I be Taking a Statin Drug to Lower my Cholesterol?

About 2 years ago, a panel of 11 cardiologists met (as reported in USA Today) to lower the recommended level of LDL cholesterol from 130 to 100. Obviously, the pharmaceutical industry was ecstatic with these new recommendations. However, it should not have come as a surprise to them, since 10 of the 11 cardiologists were on the payroll of one of the pharmaceutical companies. The problem with this recommendation is that nearly 98% of the population in the US and Canada has an LDL cholesterol level greater than 100. These recommendations would mean that nearly the entire population should take statin drugs. The New York Times reported that maybe statin drugs should be placed in our drinking water.

Several clinical trials show that individuals who are at risk of developing heart disease can decrease this risk by taking statin drugs. The problem is that researchers are not really sure if it is the lowering of cholesterol that lowers the risk or if it is the anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs. I believe that it is probably a combination of both of these effects. If you lower LDL cholesterol, there is just less that is available to become oxidized. Just like aspirin has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease due to its anti-inflammatory qualities (it all starts to make sense doesn’t it), the statin drugs do the same. However, I have always believed that we should use drugs as a last resort and not a first choice. Statin drugs are truly over prescribed.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)

Should I be Taking a Statin Drug to Lower my Cholesterol?

About 2 years ago, a panel of 11 cardiologists met (as reported in USA Today) to lower the recommended level of LDL cholesterol from 130 to 100. Obviously, the pharmaceutical industry was ecstatic with these new recommendations. However, it should not have come as a surprise to them, since 10 of the 11 cardiologists were on the payroll of one of the pharmaceutical companies. The problem with this recommendation is that nearly 98% of the population in the US and Canada has an LDL cholesterol level greater than 100. These recommendations would mean that nearly the entire population should take statin drugs. The New York Times reported that maybe statin drugs should be placed in our drinking water.

Several clinical trials show that individuals who are at risk of developing heart disease can decrease this risk by taking statin drugs. The problem is that researchers are not really sure if it is the lowering of cholesterol that lowers the risk or if it is the anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs. I believe that it is probably a combination of both of these effects. If you lower LDL cholesterol, there is just less that is available to become oxidized. Just like aspirin has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease due to its anti-inflammatory qualities (it all starts to make sense doesn’t it), the statin drugs do the same. However, I have always believed that we should use drugs as a last resort and not a first choice. Statin drugs are truly over prescribed.

Source: Dr. Strand Health Nuggets (newsletter@Bionutrition.org)