What Foods Can Cause High Homocysteine Levels?
You may have heard about homocysteine if you or someone you know is at a high risk of heart issues, but did you know homocysteine levels can give us a deeper insight into overall health as well? Elevated homocysteine could be the underlying reason for your chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease (leading to a handful of other symptoms).
So what can influence homocysteine levels? One of the major factors is your diet.
Today you’ll learn about what foods can cause high homocysteine levels. But before we get there, you may be wondering, “why is homocysteine important in the first place?” Let’s jump in and find out why you should know your homocysteine levels and why you may need to lower them.
What is Homocysteine?
Homocysteine is an amino acid that your body uses to make proteins and has the ability to impact your overall health. While, yes, amino acids are necessary for optimal functioning, too much can lead to dysfunction. Like most things in life…it’s all about balance.
Normally, certain B vitamins like vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid do help break down homocysteine for other necessary chemicals that are required for bodily processes. When it gets broken down, it lowers the amount of total homocysteine in your bloodstream.
But if this metabolic process doesn’t occur efficiently (due to a number of factors, including nutrient deficiencies), it can lead to homocysteine build-up.
The Issue with Elevated Homocysteine
Elevated levels can cause cellular injury, specifically to your endothelial cells. These are cells that line your blood vessels and arteries throughout your body. This cellular damage triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are pretty much unstable molecules that lead to inflammation.
While homocysteine is well known to be associated with heart issues, elevated levels and chronic systemic inflammation can also be the underlying reason for your neurological conditions, poor bone health, IBD, Hashimoto’s, and Rheumatoid arthritis.
The good news is that lifestyle factors, like your diet, can help lower your total homocysteine levels back to a healthy level.
How is Methylation Connected to Homocysteine Levels?
Methylation is a metabolic process that regulates your homocysteine levels, along with numerous other vital functions that impact your hormones, immune system, and gut health.
For methylation to occur, your body needs to have adequate levels of methionine, folate, vitamins B12 and B6, choline, betaine, as well as certain minerals like magnesium, zinc, and sulfur available.
Where do you get these nutrients? From your diet.
Why You Should Know If You Have the MTHFR Gene or Not
If you have one or two mutations of the MTHFR gene, this means your body isn’t as efficient at carrying out methylation, which leads to higher total homocysteine levels. If you have a double MTHFR gene mutation, you are at an even greater risk.
But don’t let this scare you! Knowing if you have a gene mutation can be a huge benefit. If you do have a mutation, it just means you have to be more aware of your daily habits and choices.
Lifestyle factors play a huge role in the way your genes are expressed. So even if your genes are saying you are more prone to impaired methylation, your lifestyle behaviors, like your diet, for example, can actually override this risk and turn those genes off.
It’s empowering to know if you have an MTHFR mutation because you can take proactive steps (like paying special attention to the foods you eat) now to avoid health issues that can arise with impaired methylation.
Testing for Elevated Homocysteine Levels
While your conventional doctor may run labs for your homocysteine levels if you have heart issues, Functional Medicine providers may look at it to make sure your entire body is in balance since we know homocysteine impacts more than just your heart. We don’t believe homocysteine should just be investigated for only heart health.
Be aware that conventional doctors and functional medicine doctors also use different lab ranges to interpret “normal” ranges.
How to Reduce Homocysteine Naturally
So how do you overcome impaired methylation to lower homocysteine levels? Prioritizing diet choices is one of the most significant things you can do to lower homocysteine levels, especially if you have an MTHFR mutation (and especially if you have two).
While you want to focus on foods to avoid with high homocysteine levels, you should also focus on eating more foods that support optimal methylation.
What foods can cause high homocysteine levels?
You may wonder what foods you should steer clear of if you are not a good methylator or what foods raise homocysteine levels. We’ve got you covered.
Foods to AVOID if you have high homocysteine levels:
Red meat
Dairy
Excess protein intake (like protein shakes with methionine)
Alcohol
Coffee
Poor diet in general that consists of high calories, but low nutrients
Foods That Lower Homocysteine Levels
Try to incorporate more foods that support optimal methylation to break down homocysteine. Up your intake of foods that provide the necessary nutrients for the methylation process- B vitamins, choline, betaine, magnesium, zinc, and sulfur. Here are some ideas…
Eat more of these foods if you have high homocysteine levels:
Foods that are rich in vitamin B-6:
Potatoes
Bananas
Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans
Chicken
Dark leafy greens
Papayas
Oranges
Cantaloupe
Foods that are rich in choline:
Peanuts (many peanuts can be mold containing so source carefully)
Cruciferous vegetables
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains
Soybeans
Foods that are rich in betaine:
Seafood
Wheat germ
Beets
Bran
Spinach
Foods rich in magnesium:
Legumes
Cashews and Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Whole grains
Green leafy vegetables
Foods rich in zinc:
Pine nuts
Peanuts
Cashews
Almonds
Foods rich in sulfur:
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Asparagus
Tips to Reduce Homocysteine Levels Besides Diet Changes
If you read this article to find out what foods can cause high homocysteine levels…we don’t want you to stop there. While diet choices can make a huge impact, don’t forget about other lifestyle changes that you can make as well.
These tips/practices not only lower homocysteine but are great for overall wellness too.
Reduce stress levels by practicing meditation, winding down with a book, breathing exercises….just don’t wind down with a glass of wine (in fact, reduce your alcohol intake)
Supplement with glutathione can help (if methylation isn’t working properly, homocysteine won’t be able to produce glutathione, which is your body’s most powerful antioxidant)
Don’t over-exercising, and be sure to drink plenty of water and electrolytes after working out. Coconut water is a great drink that replenishes electrolytes.
Strength training and yoga have been shown to reduce homocysteine levels.
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