COLUMN: It's Heart Month. Keep Yours Healthy!
By Dr. Brenda Gill
Cholesterol has been the standard test for predicting heart disease for many years. However, more and more, this has shown to be inadequate, so a new marker that can be tested is homocysteine. This is a breakdown product of protein from the amino acid methionine, which is then broken down further with the help of pyridoxine (Vitamin B6). When homocysteine is not broken down completely, it may cause clotting, increased harmful oxidation and damage to the blood vessel walls.
