To boost your ticker, cook steak quicker...

Realhealthnews Daily Dose - March 21, 2003

By now, you've probably heard about homocysteine. I've been
writing about it for nigh on 20 years, and unless you're new
to alternative medicine, you've probably heard a bit about
how it relates to heart disease...

But just in case you've haven't, here's a refresher:
Homocysteine is a harmful amino acid your body forms as a by-
product of the digestion of certain foods (like well-done
steak). Increased homocysteine in the bloodstream is
strongly associated with the occurrence of heart disease.
This correlation has been common knowledge in alternative
medicine circles for years.

Your body, however, has a built-in defense mechanism against
homocysteine buildup -- it transforms it into a harmless
substance called cystathionine, which is flushed from the
body in the urine. Again, old news.

Here's what's new: Recent research conducted in the
Netherlands points to the likelihood that some people are
genetically unable to convert homocysteine at a sufficient
rate, contributing to unsafe levels in the body and
subsequent increased risk of heart disease. This research
also studied the effects of a treatment for homocysteine my
alternative medicine colleagues and I have been recommending
for years: Folic acid. And the results confirmed what I've
known all along: Folic acid supplementation lowers
homocysteine, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Now, other studies have shown this in the past. But the
Netherlands research took it one step further, concluding
that those people with a genetically reduced capacity to
process homocysteine were ONLY at increased risk for heart
disease when their folic acid levels were low...

What that means is this: Even if you're one of those
unfortunate souls whose body is ill-equipped to break down
homocysteine, folic acid supplementation can "even the
playing field" as far as your heart disease risk goes. But
taking folic acid isn't the only thing you can do to reduce
blood homocysteine -- Vitamins B12 and B6 are also critical
for the metabolism of this killer amino acid. Oh, and when
you cook steak, prepare it as rare as you can enjoy it --
because the closer to "well done" it is, the more
homocysteine you'll produce in digesting it...

But don't skip the steak altogether -- it's too good for
you! Just be sure to simply replenish your folic acid and B
vitamins regularly and you'll be fine.

Source: www.realhealthnews.com. Re-printed with permission.

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Effect of protein and methionine intakes on plasma homocysteine

Effect of protein and methionine intakes on plasma homocysteine concentrations: a 6-mo randomized controlled trial in overweight subjects1,2,3

Nikolaj Haulrik, Søren Toubro, Jørn Dyerberg, Steen Stender, Annebeth R Skov and Arne Astrup

1 From the Research Department of Human Nutrition, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen.

Background: A high plasma homocysteine concentration is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine concentrations are thought to be raised by high protein and methionine intakes.

Objective: Our goal was to investigate the effects of high and low protein and methionine intakes on homocysteine in overweight subjects.

Design: Sixty-five overweight subjects were randomly assigned to a 6-mo intervention with a low-protein, low-methionine diet (LP: 12% of total energy, 1.4 g methionine/d; n = 25); a high-protein, high-methionine diet (HP: 22% of total energy, 2.7 g methionine/d; n = 25), both of which had similar fat contents (30% of total energy); or a control diet with an intermediate protein content (n = 15). All food was self-selected at a shop at the department. Protein intake was increased in the HP group mainly through lean meat and low-fat dairy products. Dietary compliance was evaluated by urinary nitrogen excretion.

Results: Homocysteine concentrations did not change significantly in the LP or control groups but were 25% lower in the HP group (NS). Homocysteine concentrations after the 3-mo intervention were inversely associated with vitamin B-12 intake and with weight change (by multivariate analysis performed for all subjects), but not with methionine or protein intake. Sixty-nine percent of the variation could be explained by baseline homocysteine (P < 0.001), 2% by vitamin B-12 (P = 0.02), and another 2% by weight change (P = 0.06). The plasma homocysteine concentration after 6 mo was associated only with baseline homocysteine (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: A high-protein, high-methionine diet does not raise homocysteine concentrations compared with a low-protein, low-methionine diet in overweight subjects.

Key Words: Protein • methionine • homocysteine • diet • obesity • cardiovascular disease

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 76, No. 6, 1202-1206, December 2002 © 2002 American Society for Clinical Nutrition

Source: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/76/6/1202

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