Dr. Mercola May 29 2004 2,025 views
One doctor suggested taking lots of B vitamins as a way to keep your homocysteine levels in the healthy range. Food sources enriched naturally with vitamin B and calcium included dairy products, broccoli and other green leafy vegetables, carrots, avocados, cantaloupes, apricots, almonds and peanuts.
These findings could move the government to require bread and cereal manufacturers to fortify their products with folate, which is also referred to as folic acid.
Statistics showed that when the U.S. government began requiring the addition of folate to breads, cereals and other types of flour products in 1998, there was a drop in American’s homocysteine levels. Folate has also been credited with the prevention of around 48,000 deaths caused by heart attacks and strokes each year.
In a study on the link between homocysteine levels and the risk of fractures caused by osteoperosis, researchers examined 2,406 subjects who were aged 55 and older.
Results From The Study
The study revealed that increased homocysteine levels increased the risk of fractures.
The data was adjusted according to factors such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and history of recent falls.
The study also showed that the subjects who had the highest homocysteine levels had doubled their chances of experiencing fractures, compared to the other subjects with lower levels.
These findings led researchers to recommend nutritional supplements of folic acid, cobalamin and pyridoxine as a possible solution to reversing the homocysteine levels.
Bone mineral density and other possible risk factors for fracture appeared to be independent of the association between homocysteine levels and risk of fracture.
An elevated homocysteine level appeared to be a prominent and independent risk factor for osteoporotic fractures in older men and women.
The New England Journal of Medicine May 13, 2004;350:2033-2041
This study points out some of the great benefits provided by folic acid and other B vitamins, one of which is that they substantially lower homocysteine levels. Vitamin D and calcium are also proven to lower bone fracture risk. It is also important to remember that lowering insulin levels is a great way to lower homocysteine levels and improve your bone density.
It is important to keep in mind that folic acid supplements are not the answer to normalizing homocysteine levels.
Many Americans have elevated homocysteine levels because they are not eating enough fresh vegetables. In addition to folic acid, fresh vegetables have numerous other nutrients that will promote health and prevent diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.
So, if you are looking for the absolute best way to obtain folic acid you should consider eating lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables.
The amount of vegetables your body requires depends on your nutritional type. While we all need vegetables to stay healthy, the type and amount should be determined by what nutritional type you are. There is a basic test you can take to find out your nutritional type which is detailed in my new book, Total Health Program. Carbohydrate nutritional types need far more vegetables in their diet than protein nutritional types. One of the easiest ways to fulfill your vegetable intake is through regularly consuming vegetable juice.
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