The best way to lower your homocysteine level is to go on a Paleo Diet! It's
very high in B12 folate and B6. Homocysteine is also a marker for a crappy
diet (i.e. people who live on processed rubbish are far more likely to have
it). interesting I've seen other reports linking homocysteine with up to 5.7
times increase in risk of Alzheimer's.

But beware, many people have mild B12 malabsorption due to gastric atrophy-
affecting over 20% of Caucasians and 50% of Africans over 50 years of age.
This B12 deficiency is enough to affect brain cells but not enough to affect
blood cells. I have confirmed this with an outside expert, but the relevant
references are:
http://www.victorherbert.com/822A.htm
http://www.victorherbert.com/EB2001II.htm
from http://www.victorherbert.com/

Herbert wants the food supply fortified with free (uncombined) B12 as well
as folate B6 B3 and B1. Herbert is also anti- vitamin C and vitamin E and
beta carotene supplements and provides the evidence why.
http://www.victorherbert.com/AntioxidACN.htm . If you have a genetic
tendency to iron overload disease (haemochromatosis), vitamin C supplements
will aggravate that severely. If you already have iron overload, vitamin C
will turn it from your own personal Chernobyl into your own personal
super-Chernobyl.

Read the articles, if you are concerned talk to your doctor about whether
you need to be tested for TC2, Iron studies and red cell folate. Herbert is
a Professor from Mt Sinai, he knows his stuff.

Ben Balzer

-----Original Message-----
From: Paleolithic Eating Support List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Don Wiss
Sent: Friday, 15 February 2002 12:23
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Alzheimer's May Be Linked to Normal Diet Byproduct


Alzheimer's May Be Linked to Normal Diet Byproduct
By DENISE GRADY
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/14/health/14DEME.html

The article starts out:

People with high blood levels of a normal diet byproduct, homocysteine,
have twice the average risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a study
being published today finds.

The study suggests that other major degenerative diseases like
cardiovascular disease and diabetes may stem at least in part from diet,
possibly making them preventable.

Then includes:

Homocysteine is an amino acid, a building block of proteins. Its levels can
rise when people eat a diet heavy in animal protein and few fruits or leafy
vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can lower the levels by providing B
vitamins, folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12, which help convert
homocysteine to other amino acids that are not harmful.

[end of excerpts]

Now it looks to me that Denise Grady thinks that B12 comes from fruits and
vegetables. Just shows how biased she is, that she simply assumes that this
is yet another pro vegetarian article that she's reporting on.

Don.