Autoimmune Conditions | A Metabolic Plan

Jul

5

5. Homocysteine

High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid, have been associated with increased risk of heart attack, bone fracture and poor cognitive function. In fact, in the case of heart attack risk, research has shown that the risk is more than three times as great over a period of five years. It is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease and stroke.

High levels of homocysteine in conjunction with low vitamin B12 has also become recognized as an increased risk factor for bone fractures. Homocysteine levels is a significant risk factor for hip fractures in older people. While folic acid supplements can effectively reduce homocysteine levels, it is not known if that therapy will reduce the risk of fracture.

Elevated homocysteine levels have recently been linked to other disorders such as age-related macular degeneration and depression. Deficiency of folic acid, a B vitamin, plays and important role in mood and homocysteine breakdown and therefore may be the link between depression and elevated homocysteine. Finally, cognitive decline in normal individuals between the ages of 30 and 80 has been associated with elevated homocysteine concentrations.

Homocysteine levels play a significant role in overall health and the addition of folic acid can help to control those levels.

6. C-Reactive Protein

Increasingly, medical science is discovering that inflammation within the body can lead to many life-threatening, degenerative diseases such as coronary heart disease, other diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes, macular degeneration, cognitive decline, arthritis, cancer and autoimmune conditions. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation. However, the cardiac CRP test detects even smaller levels of inflammation than the basic CRP test, so it is therefore able to identify at-risk patients earlier, even among apparently healthy people.

The high-sensitivity cardiac CRP may predict risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and sudden cardiac death among healthy individuals with no history of cardiovascular disease, as well as predict recurrent events and death in patients with acute or stable coronary diseases.

Increased levels of C-reactive protein have previously been strongly linked with a greater risk of developing type II diabetes. These results were confirmed in a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health in which healthy women with high CRP levels were found to be at greater risk, thus establishing the link between type II diabetes and inflammation.

C-reactive protein is also associated with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and major depression in men.

Natural therapies, such as fish oil, L-carnitine and soluble fiber before meals may help to optimize CRP levels, along with exercise and proper diet.