Homocysteine is good, necessary and vital for your health

It is a biochemical reality, and biochemistry does not deceive.

And from the creators of the film “Cholesterol is bad and you have to lower it,” another similar version arrives with a different protagonist in this new film, called “Homocysteine is bad and needs to be lowered too.”

The title of this post may have left you a little confused, given that for many years we've been told repeatedly that homocysteine is bad. This has led to a series of neural connections being established in your brain, so that every time you hear or read something related to this topic, the thought that comes to mind is: "bad homocysteine." Well, I'm going to tell you something new, different, and something you most likely haven't seen anywhere else: homocysteine is good and necessary for health.

As an introduction, I would like to explain what homocysteine is:

What is homocysteine?

Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid synthesized as an intermediate product of methionine metabolism (an essential amino acid), with incredible and vital functions for the body (production of cysteine, taurine, carnitine, precursor of Same- methyl group donor, etc.), that is, it helps us to keep our physical and mental health in the best possible state.

So, isn't it normal that when a person has an illness or functional disorder, it increases? Not only is it normal, but it's completely necessary.

Just as cholesterol increases in these circumstances to produce hormones, vitamin D, and repair cells, homocysteine increases in certain situations, which I want you to know:
When there is high oxidative stress and a high level of internal toxins, the demand for cysteine increases, since it is necessary to produce glutathione (antioxidant and detoxifier).

And where do you think cysteine comes from? Homocysteine, so it's normal for it to increase if there's increased demand.

Furthermore, when a person's health is deteriorating, their methylation needs increase, since these factors are involved in: cellular repair, detoxification, hormonal regulation, inflammation, ATP production, lipid metabolism, as well as the regulation of the epigenetic expression of our DNA.

Like the demonized cholesterol, homocysteine has been portrayed as the villain, when it's really a hero, helping us restore order at the metabolic and cellular levels at every moment of our lives.

How can a sulfurous amino acid pose a health problem?

To date, there are several theories as to why it might be high, and except for one, the others have no logical basis.

I'm going to explain the possible causes of high homocysteine, and even the possible causes of low homocysteine, which, curiously, is never addressed, and which is much more worrying for health.

Causes of high homocysteine

• The first and most common in the majority of the population; Your body needs to increase its levels because your cells need the substances derived from it. (production of cysteine, taurine, carnitine, methylation, etc.).
  As I've explained, this is the cause I've seen in more than 70% of the patients who have come to my office (just like cholesterol), and when their health problem has been resolved, their levels have returned to normal (curious, isn't it?).
• Deficiency/insufficiency in vitamins B6, B9, B12, trimethylglycine .
  There are some cases in which certain people have insufficient levels of these nutrients, and these are involved in metabolic pathways in which homocysteine is processed (both in its transsulfuration and remethylation processes) to produce new substances, so this deficiency can lead to that homocysteine becoming blocked without being able to go anywhere.

It's very important to know whether you are at point 1 or point 2, first of all to put that high homocysteine into context, and second, to know if you have a deficiency or insufficiency in nutrients to provide them and normalize the values.

In 100% of current therapeutic approaches (even integrative ones), when someone with high homocysteine is seen, they are recommended a supplement with the aforementioned vitamins (B6, B9, B12), hoping that the levels will magically go down. And many therapists are surprised when, after 1 or 2 months of recommending these vitamins, their patients' levels do not go down, asking themselves, How can they still be high if I have provided these cofactors?

Well, there is a very simple biochemical explanation, which is the following:

My friend, your patient's body is demanding more homocysteine for its cellular and metabolic functions. Rejoice in that and stop worrying. And if their cholesterol is also high, celebrate doubly. So, put the idea that homocysteine is bad out of your mind, because it's necessary and vital.

When can homocysteine be a problem?

Only in one situation (just like cholesterol), and that is when there is a high level of oxidative stress (excess of free radicals), since this circumstance is what disrupts its molecular conformation and can generate all kinds of problems.
If you want to check if this could be a problem, get your oxidized LDL (an oxidation marker) tested, and if it's normal, don't worry, regardless of the values.
And now comes the crux of the matter: if homocysteine is high because the body needs the substances derived from it to detoxify, reduce oxidative stress, generate optimal methylation, produce ATP (energy), reduce adrenal stress, and reduce inflammation, what should we do to normalize it?

I'll make it easy for you;
Whatever you contribute or whatever therapeutic approach you take, it should be directed towards these points:

• Reduce toxic load (heavy metals and non-metal toxics).
• Increase antiaging potential to reduce oxidative stress.
• Increase energy efficiency at the cellular level (ATP production).
• Regulate the adrenal axis to remain in phase 1 adrenal.
• Contribute to good methylation.

Would you like to know about a product that provides all the substances and nutrients needed to ensure all of these pillars described can be at their best, while also providing the cofactors for the pathways I explained above (transulfuration and remethylation) to keep homocysteine levels within their ideal range?

Here you have it, Energy Pro Detox, a supplement I formulated with that very intention (to improve those important pillars of human health), and it not only helps lower homocysteine levels when they are high, but it helps increase levels when they are low, something that (today) no one pays attention to.

As a brief summary of low homocysteine (because I would have to write another article about it), I will tell you the following:

As you may have noticed, homocysteine has incredible functions in the body (both physically and cognitively), so I have never understood why "no one" today pays attention to it and seeks therapeutic strategies to raise these levels and improve their health, because just like low cholesterol, low homocysteine ​​represents a serious problem for the person.

What can lead to low homocysteine production?

• Poor liver function It can lead to low production of Homocysteine, since the MAT1A gene is found in that organ (responsible for the production and activity of the MAT enzyme (methionine adenosyltransferase), which intervenes in the metabolic pathway of conversion of methionine to homocysteine.
  Therefore, liver care (good phase I and phase II liver) should be the main priority to normalize its values.
• Low protein intake , since protein is the source of the amino acids the body needs to function properly, and one of them (methionine, an essential amino acid) is responsible for the production of homocysteine. Although the cases I encounter are rare, I have occasionally seen people who consume very little protein per day, and this affects them in this regard (taking 0.8g/kg/body weight to 1.5 to 2g maximum for athletes).
• Medications : These have the particularity of affecting countless metabolic pathways, unfortunately we know very little about their effects, so we should avoid them as much as possible.

Although there are other possible causes, these are the three main ones you should consider. By addressing them intelligently at a therapeutic level, everything can return to normal, whether homocysteine is high or low. As you may have noticed, a single molecule can perform a wide range of functions and effects in our bodies.

And how, just a single molecule can be so vital to our lives…

That's why I believe no multinational pharmaceutical company has yet dared to create a drug with the unique ability to inhibit or block this metabolic pathway leading to homositein production, because they know the impact it would have on health would be so great that it would be more than clear that its creation was solely for economic gain, and not for human health.

I bid you farewell, hoping you enjoyed this article, that you can reflect on everything you've read, and, above all, that you're open-minded enough to accept any new idea (no matter how revolutionary it may seem), which can lead you down a new path that will allow you to improve your health and quality of life.

Scientific Nutrition (orthomolecular), providing scientific rigor in the field of integrative medicine and nutrition every day.