Arteriosclerosis And Homocysteine. A Modern Approach By A Pioneering Researcher

There are many scientists now that support and prove with their research and reviews that cholesterol is not the causing agent of atherosclerosis

. The body of evidence is growing bigger everyday and more scientists on the leading edge of medicine join the side of this obvious truth. But what is the atherosclerosis mechanism then? How does this debilitating disease occur and how can we possibly avoid it? One man, back in the 70s, was immensely brave to go against the cholesterol craziness and stand alone with his pioneering research proving not only that cholesterol is an innocent molecule but also clearly showing the real cause of atherosclerosis: Homocysteine. This article is a tribute to Dr Kilmer McCully, the doctor who solved the mystery of atherosclerosis and was brave enough to support his revolutionary findings when the lipid theory was at its peak.

I have dealt with the cholesterol issue in many articles so far. It is not the cause of arteriosclerosis. The homocysteine model proposes that arteriosclerosis is a severe form of dietary imbalance which greatly facilitated by the modern diet habits we follow. Homocysteine occurs naturally in the body as a result of protein metabolism. Specifically, the amino acid methionine, which is found in the tissues of living organisms and we take in with our food, can either be used to synthesize more proteins for our body or, if this is not necessary, it converts to homocysteine in the liver. Usually homocysteine converts to another substance, which is water soluble and can be excreted safely with the urine. The whole chemical modification process takes place in the liver, the powerhouse of detoxification and metabolism. Specific enzymes take part in this process which consists of several separate steps,one enzyme for each step. We can roughly count 4 major steps, and we definitely do not want to get into more biochemical detail at this point. Every enzyme needs a specific cofactor to achieve its full functionality. Vitamins B6, B9 and B12 are the most significant ones. Each one of these help the liver enzymes to metabolize homocysteine and methionine in a safe way. There are two ways to get elevated homocysteine in the body: first massive quantities of protein are consumed and second dysfunctional liver enzymes that cannot convert homocysteine in a safe byproduct to be excreted are present. Obviously a combination of the two is possible, and this is the case here. The liver is also the centre of cholesterol synthesis and metabolism. The problem with homocysteine is that it reacts with LDL in the liver. The product of this reaction is a highly toxic substance which when released in the blood stream, causes injuries in the cells of the arteries. This is the first step for arteriosclerosis. This initial damage is followed by many abnormal responses from the bodys defensive mechanisms. The cells themselves behave in a completely irregular way, releasing some of the toxic material that caused the damage in the first place, to neighboring cells, which become prone to oxidative damage and start to accumulate cholesterol among other molecules. They are gradually converted in a special type of cell called foam cell. Atheromatic plaques observed in advanced arteriosclerosis are the result of a complicated sequence of molecular and cellular events that take place. Different types of cells, signalling molecules and pathways are involved in this. Cholesterol is simply one of them. Eventually platelets cause blood clots leading to a complete blockage of the artery.

The imbalance is summarized as follows: we consume a lot of protein as part of our diet i.e. meat, dairy, eggs, poultry. We also consume loads of processed foods which are striped off of valuable nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Most refinement processes result in the loss of 50-75% of vitamins. Therefore we take in a lot of protein, but we cannot metabolize it in a proper way. The liver is deprived of essential raw materials it urgently needs to work with. So homocysteine accumulates, as years go by and atherosclerotic plaques build up. This is why advanced atherosclerosis is mainly observed after the age of 40. It takes many years of being out of balance for such a major condition to fully develop and manifest. So, what is the way out of this disastrous combination? Dr McCully and many others after him proved that a strong supplementation of the vitamins supporting the liver enzymes (B6,B12 and B9) can halt and even reverse atherosclerosis. It is simple, easy, cheap and efficient. Maybe too simple for most medical practitioners to admit, but very real indeed. These vitamins have been shown in many independent studies to have a significant cardioprotective role, a fact that was ignored by most physicians. The homocysteine theory explains in a very consistent and systematic way the phenomenon called atherosclerosis. Very recently, human experiments showed that homocysteine and atherosclerosis are strongly correlated, a lot more than any other risk factor tested so far. It will take time to get this new approach accepted my mainstream science but I want to believe that it is just a matter of time.

by: Helen Davies

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