Study Examines Homocysteine Levels in Adolescents
May 1, 1999
Study Examines Homocysteine Levels in Adolescents
The April 7, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association features a study that examined the cardiovascular health of adolescents and particularly, the association between homocysteine, folic acid, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Nonfasting serum homocysteine concentration was used as the main outcome measure and was found to be higher in boys than in girls; higher in African-Americans than in Caucasians and Hispanics; higher in children not taking multivitamins than in those taking multivitamins; and higher in children who smoke than in children who do not smoke.
Researchers with the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health determined that a significant inverse relationship exists between serum homocysteine and serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. Serum homocysteine was not significantly associated with serum lipid levels or family history of cardiovascular disease and was only weakly related to body mass index and systolic blood pressure. After multivariate adjustment, homocysteine remained independently associated with sex, race, serum folic acid and vitamin B12 levels, and systolic blood pressure.
Overall, the distribution of homocysteine levels was substantially lower in the children studied than that reported for adults. The study results, however, do indicate that a small percentage of children are potentially at elevated risk for future cardiovascular disease and that serum folic acid may be an important determinant of homocysteine levels in children.
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