Blood tests are hated by many. There are those who are afraid of needles, those who hate to fast until the exams are completed. And also those who think they are healthy and do not need to undergo this torture.
If you regularly check the usual values, such as the blood count, there is a blood test that is not practiced but which could be very useful. When the level of this value is not normal, in fact, the consequences could be quite serious. The blood test that everyone should do but few know is that of homocysteine. Here because.
What is homocysteine
Homocysteine belongs to the sulfur amino acid family, so it contains sulfur. It is naturally present in our body and is the result of the transformation of methionine, another amino acid.
In normal quantities, homocysteine is not dangerous. However, when its concentration in the body is too high, there can be serious risks. Fortunately, our body regulates itself in a natural way. Vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid, in fact, help to lower homocysteine values.
However, when you take an insufficient quantity of these substances or suffer from mutations or disorders that limit or slow down your metabolism, you risk experiencing hyperhomocysteinemia.
The blood test that everyone should do but few know about
Hyperhomocysteinemia can have consequences on the circulatory system. As explained by Nygård and colleagues in the scientific journal “Jama” in 1995, a high level of homocysteine increases the risk of thrombosis, icuts, atherosclerosis and heart attack.
Furthermore, according to the study conducted by Morris and Savaria in 2003, high levels of homocysteine can also favor the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, hyperhomocysteinemia does not cause symptoms. Those who suffer from it, therefore, can go years without realizing it.
Today, as Hunt and colleagues reported in a 2014 article, few people are getting enough vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. Even those who consume richer products of animal origin for example of B12, however, it risks being deficient in these nutrients.
It is therefore important to check homocysteine levels in the blood at least once. If these are high, the doctor may prescribe the intake of targeted supplements and perhaps a change in diet.
