Homocysteine - a link to psoriasis ?

[stewart_h]

It interested me why some people improve on eating lots more leafy green veg and taking folic acid supplements, so i did a little research and found this stuff....

Patrick Holford talks about homocysteine in his Book The H Factor.

What is homocysteine ?
Homocysteine is an amino acid found in blood that is the by-product of the metabolism methionine, a dietary protein. Too much of it is related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Multiple epidemiological studies have examined the association between elevated homocysteine levels and cardiovascular disease. Most, but not all, report a strong positive association. Evidence suggests that elevated homocysteine levels may promote atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in the blood vessels) by damaging the inner lining of arteries and promoting blood clots.

What causes a high homocysteine level?
Homocysteine is normally changed into other amino acids for use by the body. If your homocysteine level is too high, you may not have enough B vitamins to help this process take place. Or you may not have enough of the chemicals (enzymes) your body uses to process homocysteine.

Most people with a high homocysteine level don't get enough folate (also called folic acid), vitamin B6 or vitamin B12 in their diet. Replacing these vitamins helps return the homocysteine level to normal. Other possible causes of a high homocysteine level include low levels of thyroid hormone, kidney disease, psoriasis, or some medicines.

How do folic acid and other B vitamins affect homocysteine levels?
Folic acid and other B vitamins help break down homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine levels in the blood are strongly influenced by diet and genetic factors. Dietary folic acid (often used with some success with people with psoriasis) and vitamins B-6 and B-12 have the greatest effects on homocysteine levels. Studies have demonstrated that higher levels of B vitamins are related to lower concentrations of homocysteine. Low blood levels of folic acid have been linked with a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease and stroke. Folic acid and B vitamins can be found in green leafy vegetables and fruits. The American Heart association recommends eating at least 5 servings of these fruits and vegetables daily.

A blood test is available to measure homocysteine in the blood. It is recommended that this test be done while fasting. Normal levels are generally considered to be below 16 umol/l.

It is important to note there are other diseases associated with increased homocysteine levels. These include renal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, psoriasis, certain malignancies and pernicious anemia. Elevated homocysteine levels may also be associated with certain medications.

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The interesting thing is I have read four or five articles now that all include psoriasis as as occuring with high levels of the H factor. What causes wwhat i dont know but it might be a good idea to tackle the H factor aand see what effect is has on psoriasis.

[stewart_h]

Not much out there i could find at this late hour but here is some stuff:

HIgh levels of homocysteine found in psoriasi patients, treated with folic acid in this 1971 study.
Fry, L., et al. The mechanism of folate deficiency in psoriasis. British Journal of Dermatology, Vol. 84, June 1971, pp. 539-44

"High plasma homocysteine concentrations have also been observed in patients with psoriasis and acute lymphoblastic leukemia probably reflecting high cell turnover in these disorders."
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"There are several recent discoveries regarding psoriasis. People suffering from it have been found to have high homocysteine levels so supplementation with B vitamins especially folic acid should be helpful. "
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"It is important to note there are other diseases associated with increased homocysteine levels. These include renal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, psoriasis, certain malignancies and pernicious anemia."
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[LouiseB]

Thanks for that post Stewart.  I've read a few of Patrick Holford's books and subscribe to his newsletter.  Some intersting stuff in there.

 8-)  

[Jade]

Yes, thanks for the info Stewart - I saw the Patrick Holford book advertised & it looked interesting.
I remember something about nettles being good   ... that is probably something to do with the folic acid content, maybe.  
I know there was some kind of diet to follow - like things you aren't allowed to eat.
*Jade suddenly gets interested*
It would be good to know if you spot anything new.

Thanks,
Jade x

[The_Return_Of_BTK]

dont mention nettles again lol  

[stewart_h]

that woman is nettle mad !

[Jamie..]

These include renal insufficiency,

Hope i aint got wrong end of stick, but found out a few years back I was born with one enlarged kidney. Ultrascan & ink tests. Genetically inherited with P?

[stewart_h]

IM afraid i cant comment on that Jamz as i dont know. But i can tell u that your NHS doctor can p[rovide u with a Homcysteine tests, just ask him for it.

[stewart_h]

The plot thickens.I have finished the Patrick Holford book using my super speed eyesight,

in summary:

diet (ggod) = lots of green veg (especially spinach), lots of fish, moderate chicken or turkey, beans, nuts, seeds, lots of fruit.
diet (bad) = red meat (except lamb), too much dairy, processed foods

things that make homocysteine rise (bad) = stress, junk food,red meat, steroids

vitamins used to lwer homocystine (taken in combination) = folate (folic acid), b12, b6, zinc
extra vits that are helpful = b2 and magensiium

now, little research has been done on a psoriasis homocysteine link but what struck me reading this book is how simular the diet and supplementation is to a lot of the things that people say r good for psoriasis ! Zinc is well documented as helping. So is b12,

WHAT TO DO

GET A TEST IF U WANT
u can get a test of your homocystine done by your doctor basically anything oveer 9 is bad and needs fixing.
U can get it done privately at biolab.co.uk

TAKE THE VITAMIN
it actuallly isnt too many vitamins to take because they sell homocysteine busters which combine the ones u need
highernature.co.uk does "h factors" vitamin which is an all in one
whereas solgar do "homocysteine modulators" which u just need to take with zinc.
the solgar one is much cheaper, but as i say u need to add zinc at 15mg a day  (which isd cheap)

READ THE BOOK
h factors by patrick holford £5 from amazon i think


seeing sas its good to take a b vitamin anyway i might well add this to my arjuvedic regime starting next week

[stewart_h]

Vitamin B12  (taken form report in british dermatological magazine)
 
Cobalamin (vitamin B12) participates as a coenzyme in two biochemical reactions in human metabolism. One reaction requiring methylcobalamin is the remethylation of homocysteine to methionine catalysed by methionine synthetase (see 'Nutritional status and nutrient-drug interactions'). Adenosylcobalamin is required as coenzyme for methylmalonyl-CoA mutase which catalyses the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA, a metabolite of the citric acid cycle. This is an important biochemical reaction in the degradation of odd-chain fatty acids and of branched-chain amino acids. Cobalamins are exclusively synthesized by bacteria. Rich sources of cobalamin are animal organ meats (especially liver and kidney), fish, egg and milk products.[77]
 
Vitamin B12 may influence psoriasis due to its role in nucleic acid synthesis. In vitro studies also demonstrated immunomodulatory effects of vitamin B12 on T lymphocytes and cytokines.[78,79] There were some studies in the 1950s reporting therapeutic efficacy after parenteral administration of vitamin B12 in the treatment of psoriasis. However, these results could not be confirmed in other studies.[80]
 
The efficacy of topical vitamin B12 treatment in plaque psoriasis has been investigated in one study using a vitamin B12 cream containing avocado oil compared with calcipotriol treatment.[81] There was a more rapid development of beneficial effects with the use of calcipotriol, which was shown to be significantly superior to vitamin B12 treatment after 8 weeks. However, no significant difference between both therapies was observed after 12 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, there was better tolerability of the vitamin B12 cream in comparison with calcipotriol.[81] In this trial it cannot be excluded that components of the avocado oil such as unsaturated fatty acids may have contributed to the beneficial effects of the vitamin B12 cream.