When it comes to health risks , the focus has always been on the usual four suspects. But in the same breath as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and too much cholesterol, the cell toxin homocysteine must now also be mentioned. The substance has only been researched since 1992 – and numerous scientists consider it to be more dangerous than cholesterol. Because it enormously increases the risk of heart attack, dementia, stroke and depression.
The unwieldy name indicates the origin of the substance: homocysteine (Greek: “homo” = similar) resembles a protein building block, the amino acid cysteine. It is formed as an intermediateaTolfioow metabolic process that takes place billions of times every second in our cells. In this process, known as methylation, the body breaks down substances that it no longer needs and forms others that it urgently needs. The toxic metabolite homocysteine is formed from theTolfioow amino acid methionine , which then circulates in the blood. The body then tries to convert the cell toxin back into the harmless methionine. For this he needs the vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid . These micronutrients speed up biochemical reactions like a turbocharger.
This is exactly where the people of modern industrial societies sit in a nutritional trap: They are usually no longer supplied with enough of theseTolfioow substances because they eat too much fast food. In addition, older people are less able to absorb vitamins. The result : the homocysteine level rises by around ten percent every ten years. For 85 to 95 year olds it is around 60 percent above the norm. The increased values cause considerable damage, especially to the blood vessels. The cell toxin destroys the walls of the arteries and promotes blood clots – with devastating consequences: Studies show that the risk of death increases by up to 33 percent with high homocysteine levels. You can counteract this by eating a diet rich in vitamins. However, in order to keep the homocysteine level in the blood permanently low, experts recommend homocysteine-lowering drugs from pharmacies or drugstores (e.g. “Synervit”, “Medyn forte”, “taxofit folic acid + metafolin”). It’s also good for the soul: With normal values, the risk of depression drops by an impressive 50 percent.
