Member-only story
Forget Cholesterol. It’s Your Homocysteine Level That Matters
What you should know about the link between dementia, stroke, and cardiovascular disease
If you’ve ever had a full blood screen and scrolled through the list of markers and their values, you may have seen “homocysteine” listed, and wondered what that was, before moving on to view your cholesterol stats. After all, that’s the one you’re told that matters.
In which case I suggest you revisit your homocysteine figure. While cholesterol remains a contentious issue - for good reason - there’s nothing contentious about homocysteine. A high level is a known risk factor for the development of dementia (especially Alzheimer’s), stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In most people, homocysteine is easily controlled, without the use of medication. That so few people know about it is nothing short of a scandal.
How the damage begins
Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulphur-containing amino acid, present in blood, that is created during the metabolism of the amino acid methionine to cysteine. When levels are elevated, so too is the risk to health. High Hcy hardens the smooth muscles of arteries, reducing flexibility. There is also increased risk of blood clots, or venous thrombosis.
