But what is homocysteine?
Homocysteine is a naturally occurring amino acid that’s created when your body breaks down the essential amino acid methionine. Methionine is broken down into homocysteine, and then homocysteine is ‘recycled’ back to become methionine again. Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid involved in building proteins and producing certain substances in the body, including the antioxidant glutathione and the molecule SAMe.
A host of important nutrients are created throughout the methionine-homocysteine pathway; all of which play a part in various other biochemical reactions such as detoxification, healthy immune function, the formation of connective tissues, as well as brain and cardiovascular function.
The specific enzymes required for this pathway require many important nutrients, especially B vitamins. A lack of any particular nutrient can lead to an undesirable elevation in homocysteine levels. It’s for this reason that the level of homocysteine in your blood plasma becomes an important indicator of overall health.
