As a pathologist at Harvard Medical School, Kilmer McCully made a series of intriguing observations about l and our hearts. Two children had died of a genetic disorder called homocystinuria, which is commonly associated with elevated homocysteine levels. Strangely, autopsies showed that these youngsters had a severe degree of arteriosclerosis, or hardened arteries- a condition normally seen only in much older individuals. McCully hypothesized that this arterial damage was caused by excess homocysteine and might also occur in other people who had elevated levels of the amino acid but not the genetic disorder. This was such a radical departure from the accepted cholesterol theory of heart disease that it got him thrown out of Harvard. He ended up working at a small veteran's hospital in Rhode Island.

The discovery might have halted there, but in 1976, two Australians named Bridget and David Wilcken published the first study linking homocysteine and heart disease. Now the homocysteine theory of heart disease has come to the forefront of medicine. Study after recent study confirm that homocysteine is key to determining your risk of heart disease. Years after his brilliant hypothesis was scorned and rejected- and Kilmer McCully was denied tenure, a truly unfortunate turn to his career-he had been vindicated.

A close look at studies of homocysteine shows that this amino acid is present in elevated levels in an alarming number of those suffering from chronic conditions, ranging from arthritis to cancer. It may well be that homocysteine is a marker for-and a key player in- many chronic illnesses. HIgh homocysteine might be an indication that your body's detoxification abilities are failing, putting you at risk for a wide range of disorders.

Keeping homocysteine low, however, is often a matter of one simple, natural tool: the dietary supplement. High homocysteine levels have been linked to deficiencies of three crucial vitamins: B6, B12, and folic acid. Even back in the 1960s, our friend Kilmer McCully observed that homocysteine levels increase as a direct result of deficiencies of these three vitamins and that its levels decrease when they are consumed. With just the help of the basic B vitamin capsule, high homocysteine could be wiped out and the frequency of heart disease lessened.

B VITAMINS / HOMOCYSTEINE and CANCER: Cancer patients are frequently noted to have vitamin B12 deficiencies and high homocysteine concentrations. In patients with breast cancer, the common medication Tamoxifen has been reported to lower homocysteine levels-this may account for some of the protective effects that the drug has.

Paperchase ref: 99221155 Kato, I., et al. "Serum folate, homocysteine and colorectal cancer risk in women: a nested case-control study." Br J Cancer (1999 Apr)

For more information on nutraceuticals that prevent and reverse disease read "The Nutraceutical Revolution" by Dr. Richard Firshein.

by Dr. Richard Firshein