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medpundit |
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Thursday, May 13, 2004Two new studies found that people with high levels of homocysteine have a higher rate of bone fractures. Homocysteine is an amino acid found in blood. High levels have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Researchers are not sure whether the high homocysteine causes the bones to weaken or just plays a role in the process. They note that more study is needed to determine homocysteine's exact role in bone fractures. No study has drawn an association between homocysteine levels and bone mineral density. Other studies have found evidence linking high levels of homocysteine to clogged arteries, heart attack, stroke, blood clots and dementia. Funny thing about all of those ailments - they're all diseases of aging. As is osteoporosis. And guess what? Levels of homocysteine increase as you age. At least that's what both studies found. It's impossible to tell if the elevated homocysteine levels and bone fractures are causation or just association. I'm betting the latter. Still, it won't hurt you to eat plenty of green, leafy, vegetables, which are high in homocysteine, or to take a multivitamin with folic acid, B12 and B6 in it. As long as you don't overdose on them. I just wouldn't go out and have a homocysteine level drawn to predict your risk of having a fracture some time in the future. The older you are, the higher your risk. And the higher your homocysteine level. posted by Sydney on 5/13/2004 04:43:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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