Neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases associated with high homocysteine levels
Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, mental decline (dementia) and depression
“Many people think that dementia – a decline in mental performance – is a natural part of ageing that can be almost completely ignored. But this is not entirely true. elevated blood homocysteine levels may be strongly associated with mental decline, and homocysteine levels can be reduced.
In addition, “a few behavioural changes, regular memory activities and creative work can also go a long way in preventing the disease. Nature also offers herbs and vitamins that can help prevent it’ – Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Homocysteine and dementia
But what is homocysteine?
Homocysteine is an amino acid that is essential for normal cell function, but high homocysteine levels have undesirable effects. These include the symptoms listed below, but in addition to these, over 100 diseases or conditions, mainly cardiovascular, have been identified that are associated with elevated blood plasma homocysteine levels.1 Read more about homocysteine HERE.
Signs that may be seen in the early stages of dementia:
- Memory loss, forgetfulness,
- difficulties in carrying out everyday tasks,
- disturbance in temporal and spatial orientation,
- problems processing information, such as reading or understanding texts,
- speech and writing disorders,
- deteriorating ability to make decisions and judge between good and bad things,
- retreat from social life,
- personality and mood changes
It is important to take care of your homocysteine levels even if you have already developed any of the symptoms listed above, because:
The GALLMET HEART PLUS capsule contains folate (vitamin B9), betaine, vitamins B6 and B12, and herbal extracts in amounts that reduce elevated blood homocysteine levels, thus maintaining healthy circulation and mental health.💊
Vitamin B treatment to reduce homocysteine levels greatly reduces homocysteine levels and slows the rate of brain atrophy by 30%-50% and slows mental decline.3 Supplementing folate over months can improve intelligence quotient scores.4
Low blood levels of B9 (folate) and vitamin B12 and elevated homocysteine levels have been observed in people with Alzheimer’s disease.5 Adequate levels of B9 (folate) and vitamin B12 are key to preventing dementia 6 and there is a correlation between higher blood levels of vitamin B6 and better memory test scores in old age.7,8
A serum homocysteine level higher than 20 μmol/l was associated with an 8.64-fold increase in Parkinson’s disease involvement.9,10
Depression and high homocysteine levels
Up to 52% of depressed patients have elevated blood homocysteine levels, and up to a third of patients with major depression may have folate (vitamin B9) deficiency, so vitamin treatment can boost mental recovery. There is a link between folate deficiency and impaired metabolism of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, which play a role in mood disorders.11 Elevated homocysteine levels are observed in depression-prone individuals. Low folate levels may also cause antidepressant treatment to fail.12
The chance of depression increases by 4% for every unit increase in homocysteine. Homocysteine levels are higher in individuals with the MTHFR-C677T-TT gene defect and the risk of depression increases by 22%.13
How can I tell if I am affected and have high homocysteine levels?
Read more HERE about homocysteine!
GALLMET HEART PLUS food supplement 💊 contains folate (vitamin B9), betaine, vitamins B6 and B12 in amounts that contribute to proper homocysteine levels in the body!
[1] Homocysteine - from disease biomarker to disease prevention - Smith AD, Refsum H. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.13279
[2] A Review on Potential Mechanisms of Terminalia chebula in Alzheimer's Disease - Amir R. Afshari, Hamid R. Sadeghnia and Hamid Mollazadeh https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749770/
[3] Homocysteine and Dementia: An International Consensus Statement - A. David Smith, Helga Refsum, Teodoro Bottiglieri, Michael Fenech, Babak Hooshmand, Andrew McCaddon, Joshua W. Miller, Irwin H. Rosenberg and Rima Obeid https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836397/
[4] Folic acid supplementation improves cognitive function by reducing the levels of peripheral inflammatory cytokines in elderly Chinese subjects with MCI - Fei Ma, Tianfeng Wu, Jiangang Zhao, Aili Song, Huan Liu, Weili Xu and Guowei Huang https://www.nature.com/articles/srep37486
[5] Homocysteine Induces Inflammation in Retina and Brain - Nehal M. Elsherbiny, Isha Sharma, Dina Kira, Suhib Alhusban, Yara A. Samra, Ravirajsinh Jadeja, Pamela Martin, Mohamed Al-Shabrawey and Amany Tawfik https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7175372/
[6] Homocysteine and Dementia: An International Consensus Statement - A. David Smith, Helga Refsum, Teodoro Bottiglieri, Michael Fenech, Babak Hooshmand, Andrew McCaddon, Joshua W. Miller, Irwin H. Rosenberg and Rima Obeid https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836397/
[7] Vitamin B6 Fact Sheet for Health Professionals - National Institutes of Health https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
[8] The Different Relationship between Homocysteine and Uric Acid Levels with Respect to the MTHFR C677T Polymorphism According to Gender in Patients with Cognitive Impairment - Hee-Jin Kim, Il Woong Sohn, Young Seo Kim and Jae-Bum Jun https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/1147/htm
[9] Serum Homocysteine Level in Parkinson's Disease and Its Association with Duration, Cardinal Manifestation, and Severity of Disease - Payam Saadat, Alijan Ahmadi Ahangar, Seyed Ehsan Samaei, Alireza Firozjaie, Fatemeh Abbaspour, Sorrayya Khafri and Azam Khoddami https://www.hindawi.com/journals/pd/2018/5813084/
[10] Elevated Serum Homocysteine Levels Have Differential Gender-Specific Associations with Motor and Cognitive States in Parkinson's Disease - Megan C. Bakeberg, Alexa Jefferson, Maddeson Riley, Michelle Byrnes, Soumya Ghosh, Frank L. Mastaglia, Malcom K. Horne, Sarah McGregor, Rick Stell, Jade Kenna, Sue Walters and Dana Hince et al. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/pd/2019/3124295/
[11] Homocysteine and Depression in Later Life - Teodoro Bottiglieri, Malcolm Laundy, Richard Crellin, Brian K Toone, Michael W P Carney, Edward H Reynolds https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/69/2/228
[12] Physiological and pathophysiological significance of vitamin B9 - Sára Zsigrai, Alexandra Kalmár, Gábor Valcz, Krisztina Andrea Szigeti, Barbara Kinga Barták, Zsófia Brigitta Nagy, Péter Igaz, Zsolt Tulassay and Béla Molnár https://akjournals.com/view/journals/650/160/28/article-p1087.xml
[13] Homocysteine, folate, methylation, and monoamine metabolism in depression - Osvaldo P. Almeida MD PhD, FRANZCP, Kieran McCaul PhD, Graeme J. Hankey MD, FRACP et al https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/482884
