Posts Tagged homocysteine

The study was done based on observational studies suggesting that plasma homocysteine concentrations are inversely related to cognitive function in elderly people: certain …

Fibrinogen is a protein that is produced by the body and plays a very important role in the process of clotting. When there is damage to a tissue, for instance if you cut your finger, the fibrinogen acts to form the scaffolding on which the clot can form.

As you can see, this is a very important process and fibrinogen is an important player in keeping you from bleeding to death during injury.

So far so good, so why are we talking about fibrinogen?

Fibrinogen – The Jekyll and Hyde of the body

Fibrinogen apparently has a dark side as well. As with most compounds produced by the body, when they get out of balance they become potentially harmful and fibrinogen is no different. Because fibrinogen acts as a precursor to clots, you can imagine that if fibrinogen levels rise it can lead to abnormal clots such as deep vein thrombosis, heart attack and stroke. In addition, having a chronically elevated fibrinogen has been linked with plaque formation in the arteries and thus becomes a major risk factor in the development of heart disease. Fibrinogen can also impede normal blood blow by thickening the blood, thus making it difficult for oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to vital organs and muscles. This poor blood flow can cause fatigue, muscle pain and even memory loss.

You can see how an elevation in fibrinogen can lead to chronic health problems that ultimately decrease the quality of our lives. So what can be done about elevated fibrinogen?

How to Normalize Fibrinogen

First, have your doctor test your blood to determine if your fibrinogen levels are too high. Research suggests that fibrinogen levels should remain between 200 and 300 mg/dl, even though the blood test may list a much higher range as “normal”.

Now that we know that your fibrinogen levels are elevated, we recommend the following lifestyle and supplement change

1. Control blood sugar. Diabetics are at a much higher risk of heart attack and stroke. This increased risk occurs for many reasons, however, higher fibrinogens are likely one reason. Controlling blood sugar can have a significant impact on fibrinogen levels.
2. Exercise. Regular exercise can help to promote better blood flow while decreasing the amount of fibrinogen that is circulating through the system.
3. Adding olive oil to your diet has been shown to lower fibrinogen levels in people who have elevated levels.
4. Supplement with omega-3 fatty acids, specifically fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to decrease the risk of heart attack. In addition, fish oil decreases triglycerides, stickiness of blood cells and…you guessed it, fibrinogen levels! For best results we recommend that you take enough fish oil to provide 1000 mg of EPA and DHA. A good recommendation would be WholeMega by New Chapter 2 capsules twice daily.
5. Normalize homocysteine. Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism that has been linked to heart disease. Your doctor can order a simple blood test to assess homocysteine levels. Elevated homocysteine prevents the body from breaking down fibrinogen and thus can lead to an increase in blood fibrinogen. If they are high then you will want to take supplements containing certain vitamins and nutrients such as B12, folic acid, B6 and trimethylglycine (TMG). One such product that combines all of these nutrients is called Homocysteine Factors by Pure Encapsulations.
6. Vitamin C can help to keep fibrinogen levels in check. It appears that you must take at least 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily in order to lower fibrinogen levels significantly. If you have high fibrinogen levels, you may want to take 1,000 mg of Pureway vitamin C from Your Prescription for Health, twice daily.

1. Answered a variety of questions from listeners
2. Guest Jolee Root, fellow talk show host and educator in alternative medicine
3. Discussed heart health including supplements like fish oil, coenzyme Q-10, vitamin E, Sytrinol… and conditions like cholesterol and homocysteine

Using CT heart scans, Dr. Davis was able to show how a combined supplement approach could result in reversal of heart disease.

Dr. Davis noted that if someone did not implement a preventative program, calcium scores on CT scan could be expected to increase by 15-40% every year. Through close observation in his practice he noted that obtaining a lipid panel of 60 mg/dl for LDL, HDL and triglyceride could result in improvements in plaque sizes. He calls this the 60-60-60 plan. In the study, Dr. Davis lowered total cholesterol by 24%, LDL by 41%, tiglycerides by 42% and HDL was increased by 19%. This was achieved by combining a statin medication with sustained release niacin. The niacin dose used in the study was between 500 and 1500 mg daily dosed once daily.

In addition to the niacin, Dr. Davis added omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil at a dose of 1440 mg per day which was separated in two doses. What was fascinating, however, was the third and final nutritional supplement that he added to the program. When Dr. Davis combined statins with niacin and fish oil he would commonly note a 3-8% decrease in plaque volume. When he added one final supplement, however, he began to see dramatic and faster reductions in plaque levels. In fact, after addition of this common supplement he noted up to 64% reductions in plaque size.

What was the supplement?

Plain old, inexpensive, run-of-the-mill, vitamin D3 . He would dose each patient until their blood vitamin D3 levels would achieve an optimal level of 50-60 ng/ml. In the majority of the patients this would require a daily dose of 3590 iu per day. Vitamin D is gaining popularity as an important heart nutrient and this study simply confirms this finding.

In addition to the above mentioned changes, he noted in the interview that preliminary experience suggests that a lower carbohydrate diet that restricts wheat, cornstarch and sugar further improves results. In the above mentioned study, the mean reduction in calcium scores of the heart was 14.5%.

Dr. Ray’s Notes: Although I could debate whether or not cholesterol lowering is an essential component of the program, there is no debating that the comprehensive program does decrease calcifications of the arteries. Dr. Davis has a website dedicated to reversing the plaques in the arteries. It can be found at www.trackyourplaque.com . You may also want to check out the Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s book entitled, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. This book provides an aggressive dietary approach for reversing plaque buildup in the arteries which he has been able to confirm through the use of CT Calcium Scoring.

I do have some recommendations for further improving the results presented above. First, I would also add a dose of vitamin K2 in the form MK-7 . Vitamin K2 activates a compound in the body that helps to get calcium out of the arteries and deposit it where you want it, in the bones. Taking 100-300 mcg of MK-7 may provide extra benefits especially when we consider the synergy that you get when you combine vitamin K with vitamin D. I might also recommend using a compound called tocotrienols which offers antioxidant protection in addition to cholesterol lowering effects (75 mg twice daily). Dr. Davis makes no mention of homocysteine or C-reactive protein. Taking an aggressive stance with controlling these two blood compounds could help to further improve outcomes.