Epidemiological studies have proven a relation between elevated homocysteine concentration in blood and cardiovascular diseases, peripheral blood vessel diseases and strokes. Homocysteine is an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor affecting approximately 10% of population, and its levels are assessed by cardiologists to weight heart disease risk.

Homocysteine is an amino acid, a product of methionine metabolism, always present in our tissues in small quantities. Methionine is an amino acid that we get from our diet. Healthy somatic cells quickly break down methionine and homocysteine into other end products with the aid of group B vitamins.

Person's age and stress level are factors with huge bearing on normal circulation. Circulation is usually very efficient during childhood, however as we age it is more and more affected by our lifestyle – harmful habits, dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle. Stress hormone adrenaline also involves large quantities of homocysteine as a by-product and then it adversely influences cell metabolism. Elevated homocysteine level contributes to oxidative stress – lack of balance between free radicals and antioxidants that may lead to cellular and tissue damage. Homocysteine is proven to act just like a poison to the endothelium (a thin layer of squamous epithelial cells lining blood and lymphatic vessels).

Possible homocysteine mechanisms contributing to cardiovascular disease risk are:

• damage of endothelial cells,
• enhanced oxidation of “bad” cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein,
• elevated platelet aggregation – platelet clogging,
• activation of smooth muscle fibre proliferation – gradual filling of tissue spaces with connective tissue matter.

When LDL or “bad” cholesterol oxidises, it arrives directly at arteries, including the cartoid artery, coronary artery or arteries supplying your legs and hands. If endothelium is damaged, platelets “seal out” the injury site of the vessel forming a clot which, in its turn, attracts homocysteine-oxidised cholesterol that builds atheromatous plaques that grow in thickness. Over time they can slow down or completely cut off blood flow in one or several parts of the body. This is the reason behind various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, peripheral blood vessel conditions, stroke or dementia. Elevated homocysteine level may be related also to chronic renal failure.

Since homocysteine metabolism involves folic acid, vitamin B12 and B6, the level of homocysteine can be reduced if using folic acid alone or together with vitamins B6 and B12.