The study found that "serum tHcy levels ≤8.9 μmol/L and ≥10.6 μmol/L were associated with about a four-fold higher risk of dementia and AD than serum tHcy levels that were around 9.0–10.5 μmol/L."
Summary
Background
Hyperhomocysteinemia has been repeatedly found to increase the risk of dementia. However, the effects of hypohomocysteinemia on the risk of dementia have been barely investigated. If hypohomocysteinemia, like hyperhomocysteinemia, increases the risk of dementia, misuse or overuse of homocysteine-lowing agents such as vitamin supplements may increase the risk of dementia.
Aims
To investigate whether hypohomocysteinemia, like hyperhomocysteinemia, could increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a large population-based cohort of older adults.
Methods
This prospective cohort study followed 2655 randomly sampled, community-dwelling, non-demented individuals aged 60 years or older from 2010 to 2018. We measured baseline serum total homocysteine (tHcy) levels and examined the effect of serum tHcy on the risks of dementia and AD using Cox proportional hazards models.
Results
During the follow-up period (mean = 5.4 years, SD = 0.9), dementia and AD developed in 85 and 64 participants, respectively. Not only the participants with high serum tHcy (≥10.6 μmol/L) but also those with low serum tHcy (≤8.9 μmol/L) were 4–5 times more likely to develop dementia and AD compared to those with serum tHcy levels between 9.0 and 10.5 μmol/L. With the increase in serum tHcy concentration, the use of vitamin supplements decreased, and 41.2% of the participants with low serum tHcy (≤8.9 μmol/L) were taking vitamin supplements.
Conclusions
Not only hyperhomocysteinemia but also hypohomocysteinemia considerably increased the risk of dementia and AD in older adults. The risk of dementia that results from overuse or misuse of vitamin supplements should be acknowledged and homocysteine-lowering health policies should be tailored to consider dementia risks that are associated with hypohomocysteinemia.
Plumster wrote:The study found that "serum tHcy levels ≤8.9 μmol/L and ≥10.6 μmol/L were associated with about a four-fold higher risk of dementia and AD than serum tHcy levels that were around 9.0–10.5 μmol/L."
Conclusions
Not only hyperhomocysteinemia but also hypohomocysteinemia considerably increased the risk of dementia and AD in older adults. The risk of dementia that results from overuse or misuse of vitamin supplements should be acknowledged and homocysteine-lowering health policies should be tailored to consider dementia risks that are associated with hypohomocysteinemia.
Yikes! This comes as a real shock. I have been so pleased to get my homocysteine down to 6!
Julie G wrote:Thanks for sharing, Plumster- very interesting. I just passed along to Dr. Bredesen to get his take.
Yes, please do. I’ll be very interested to hear to hear what he has to say about this.
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
ReCODE 2.0 Health Coach with Apollo Health
Julie G wrote:Thanks for sharing, Plumster- very interesting. I just passed along to Dr. Bredesen to get his take.
Hi Julie, Did Dr. Bredesen have a take that's ripe enough to share here? I noticed you asked Kara Fitzgerald about homocysteine levels in her recent study (+1), so I'm thinking that he may still be mulling this over.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Hi Julie, Did Dr. Bredesen have a take that's ripe enough to share here? I noticed you asked Kara Fitzgerald about homocysteine levels in her recent study (+1), so I'm thinking that he may still be mulling this over.
Pretty unripened. He's sticking to his guns via the work of David Smith and Helga Refsum... but even they don't go that low. I need to push him further. My last test was 8 μmol/L and I have no intention of going lower. We need more research here.
Julie G wrote:
Pretty unripened. He's sticking to his guns via the work of David Smith and Helga Refsum... but even they don't go that low. I need to push him further. My last test was 8 μmol/L and I have no intention of going lower. We need more research here.
Thanks for the update Julie. Funny, I'm usually between 6 and 7, but I just came in at 8.2. I guess I'll put that in my largest of all buckets, the "unknown bucket."
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
[quote="circular"][quote="Julie G"]
Hmm, went from 16! down to 7 over a couple of years but then back up to 8.9. Now uncertain whether to try and lower this or not. Any more from Dr Bredesen or does he still want us below 7 I wonder?
