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Robert M. Russell, MD

JAMA. 1996;275(23):1828-1829.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Elevated blood homocysteine concentration is a newly recognized, independent risk factor for arteriosclerotic vascular disease. The underlying mechanisms for which some laboratory support exists are the roles of homocysteine as a vascular toxin, as a stimulator of the proliferation of smooth-muscle cells, and as a procoagulant, thrombogenic agent. In the Physicians' Health Study, blood homocysteine concentration correlated positively with the risk of myocardial infarction, even though many of the patients had levels in the "normal" range.¹ Moreover, recent data from the Framingham Heart Study show that the degree of carotid artery stenosis is also positively related to the level of plasma homocysteine.² In a meta-analysis of coronary artery disease and cerebral and peripheral vascular disease using case-control and cross-sectional studies, a consistent association was found between higher blood homocysteine levels and a higher relative risk for each of these diseases.³ For coronary artery disease, it was estimated . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Mass

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