the heart of the matter.(studies show link between blood homocysteine levels and risk for heart disease)(Brief Article)

Back in the 1950s, researchers first realized that a high level of cholesterol--found in fatty meats and other animal products--was a serious risk factor for heart disease. But recent findings suggest that it's more than just the fat in meat that's dangerous. Studies show that a high blood level of a substance called homocysteine, which is synthesized from an amino acid found in meat, dairy and eggs, also raises the risk for heart disease significantly. More than a dozen studies have found that people with even a moderately high blood level of homocysteine are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those with low levels.

Seventeen studies are currently under way to determine whether reducing homocysteine actually protects against heart disease, but the results won't be in for a few more years. Still, many doctors are already advising patients who are at risk to get their homocysteine level checked and to take steps to reduce it if it's even moderately high. "I have patients who are teetering on the edge of disease and don't have five years to wait for the results of these studies," says William Castelli, M.D., former head of the ongoing Framingham Heart Study and now director of the Framingham Cardiovascular Institute in Massachusetts.

While there are no drugs that act on homocysteine directly, research definitively shows that B vitamins--especially folic acid, [B.sub.6] and [B.sub.12]--help keep ...