November 20, 2009

Your Heart Needs B Vitamins

Can a common B vitamin deficiency be a major cause of coronary heart disease? You bet it can. A lack of folic acid (also known as folate) and other B vitamins can result in elevated homocysteine levels.

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood, a by-product of protein metabolism, and epidemiological studies show that too much of it can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine is toxic, and it accelerates the aging of your circulatory system by disrupting cell membranes in your blood vessels and causing premature atherosclerosis.

Meat Lovers “B”-Ware

Homocysteine levels can be increased by eating large quantities of red meat, which contains methionine (an essential amino acid). If you have a B vitamin deficiency, you can’t properly break down methionine into a useable form. Subsequently, your body converts it into homocysteine instead.

It may seem startling that anyone in our society could have a deficiency of B vitamins since these nutrients are found in many fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the problem is that most Americans don’t eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables. We prefer to eat processed foods that have been stripped of these vitamins, and we microwave our food, which destroys the B vitamins that would otherwise be present.

The Benefits of Bs

Studies have found that higher blood levels of B vitamins are related, in part, to lower concentrations of homocysteine. In the diet, folic acid has the most pronounced effect in breaking down homocysteine, but vitamins B6 and B12 are also involved in the process.

A high-quality daily multinutrient usually contains a beneficial array of B vitamins—including 40 mg of B6, 200 mcg of B12, and 400 mcg of calcium folinate (also known as calcium folinic acid)—a more bioavailable form of folic acid.

Also be sure to eat a nourishing diet of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. When you eat meat, fish, and dairy, be sure that they’re free of hormones and contaminants by shopping for organic or “hormone free” varieties. If you eat a healthy diet and take supplements wisely, you should have all the Bs that you need.

A word of caution: Be sure to take all the B vitamins. If you take just one or two, you may cause a relative deficiency of other B complex factors. The classic problem that I have witnessed is taking folic acid without vitamin B12. This approach can cause a relative deficiency of B12 that can lead to other medical problems.

References

Joosten E: "Metabolic evidence that deficiencies of vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin), folate and vitamin B-6 occur commonly in elderly people." Amer J Clin Nutr 1993; 58: 468-476.

McCully KS: "Vascular pathology of homocysteinemia: implications for the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis." Am J Pathol 1969; 56: 111-128.

Stampfer MJ, Malinow MR, Willett WC, Newcomer LM, Upson B, Ullman D, Tishler PV, Hennekens CH: "A prospective study of plasma homocysteine and risk of myocardial infarction in US physicians." JAMA 1992; 268: 877-881.

Ubbink JB, Vermaak WJH, van der Merwe A, Becker PJ: "Vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, and folate nutritional status in men with hyperhomocysteinemia." Amer J Clin Nutr 1993; 57: 47-53

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