I am wondering if some people with amalgam toxicity might actually
have suffered from high levels of homocysteine.

Joel

Blood chemical is a stroke risk  

Brain scans can help diagnose a stroke
High levels of an amino acid in the blood are associated with an
increased risk of stroke, say researchers.
Doctors have suspected that homocysteine is linked to stroke, but
there has been no conclusive evidence.

The London-based team looked at people genetically prone to high
homocysteine levels and found they had a higher stroke risk than other
individuals.

The good news is that research suggests the risk can be reversed by
taking folic acid, they told the Lancet.

Prevention

But they said large trials were still needed to test whether such
treatment would be safe in the long term.

Dr Pankaj Sharma, co-author of the study and consultant neurologist at
Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are awaiting the results of
several large randomised trials to confirm that this approach is
effective and safe."

A recent study in the British Medical Journal suggested women who take
folic acid supplements late into pregnancy may be at increased risk of
breast cancer.

 This has revealed a much clearer relationship between homocysteine
and stroke.

Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation  

Too much folic acid is also known to impact on a person's levels of
vitamin B12.

If this falls too low could, at worst, result in irreversible nerve
damage.

The current study's authors said vitamin B supplements might be needed
along with folic acid.

They also pointed out that the risk posed by high homocysteine levels
was much smaller than other classic stroke risk factors, such as
smoking and high blood pressure.

Therefore, it is unclear whether routinely checking people's
homocysteine levels would be beneficial, they said.

Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said: "We've
known there is a link between blood homocysteine levels and stroke for
many years, but research in this area has been complicated as
homocysteine can be difficult to manipulate.

"Promisingly, this has revealed a much clearer relationship between
homocysteine and stroke, suggesting that high levels may themselves
cause stroke. We are absolutely delighted to have supported the
study."

A spokeswoman from the Stroke Association said: "This is interesting
research which adds to the overall knowledge gained on the role of
homocysteine as a risk factor for stroke.

"As yet there is no conclusive study which shows that taking folic
acid is beneficial for everyone.

"A healthy balanced diet with at least five portions of fruit and
vegetables daily will help protect people from the risk of stroke.

"The Stroke Association is watching the progress of the trials with
interest and welcomes any future research that will help to reduce the
130,000 strokes that occur each year."

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