Homocysteine...what is it and why is it important?

Have you heard of homocysteine? Do you know that increased levels of homocysteine have been linked to greater risk of miscarriage, preeclampsia, placental abruption, premature birth and low birth weight? Homocysteine is not in and of itself a bad thing, but at increased levels it can put you and your baby at risk.

If you are just now hearing about it...there is good news, you can have your levels tested. Ask you doctor! You can also take action to help lower your levels. First of all, if you are like me, when I first heard about homocysteine, I just thought “What? What is it?” So let's start with addressing that.

Homocysteine is an amino acid. This amino acid is actually a by-product of the digestion and metabolism of protein. The catch is, if you do not have enough folate in your diet, in conjunction with the other B vitamins, B6 and B12, then the level of homocysteine can build up in your blood stream. Increased levels are connected to increased risk of all kinds of things, and in particular, for pregnant women, all kinds of things you don't want to be worrying about.

I was touched and deeply saddened when I came upon one woman's account of learning about homocysteine recently...after several weeks of mourning the loss of her stillborn child, she has learned that homocysteine may have played a role. If we can educate more people about this topic, perhaps less women will suffer as she has.

There are lots of complicated processes involved in the metabolism of protein, the ways homocysteine is processed and builds up, how it correlates to health issues, etc. For a great article that describes homocysteine and the processes it is involved in look here. Understandable lingo, great illustrations and a broad coverage of the topic makes this article a good resource. Right at this moment, I want to share the idea of homocysteine's existence and help others become informed of its importance, it's presence, and what we can all do to work at keeping a proper balance in our bodies.

The main answer to balanced levels of homocysteine lies in folate and B vitamins. A healthy diet is key, lots of veggies! For a list of foods high in folate read this article. Understanding how your particular body processes folate is important too. Ask your doctor about MTHFR (a genetic defect related to an inability to process folic acid) and to test you for it. Knowing your body's needs, during pregnancy and even when not pregnant, is of the utmost importance. Each person's body is unique and processes folic acid differently. You may want to make sure you know more about folate and one place to start is by reading my blog post, “What Do You Really Know About Folate?”

Education and awareness of the risks associated with high levels of homocysteine is my goal in writing this post. I hope you will share this information with women in your community and get the discussion going.