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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023
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Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Homocysteine is found to be resposible for severe hardening of arteries despite of normal cholesterol level thus increasing the risk of developing heart disease.
What is homocysteine?
It is an intermediate by- product that we produce when our bodies break down an essential amino acid called methionine. Methionine is found in large quantities in meat, eggs, milk, cheese, white flour, canned foods and highly processed foods. Our body need methionine to survive. Our body normally convert homocysteine into either cysteine or back to methionine again.
Cystenine & methionine are benign products and are not harmful in any way, but the enzymes needed to break down homocystine into cystine or back to methionine need folic acid, vitamin b12 and vitamin b6 to do their job. If these vitamins are deficient then levels of homocysteine in the blood begin to rise and so as the risk of developing heart disease.
Going vegetarian and eating lots of fruits and vegetables to fulfill the requirement of vitamin b group is easy way to keep your heart healthy.