B Vitamins for Cholesterol

Q.  I have a high cholesterol 299 mg/dl. My sister sells vitamins and tells me I should take B vitamins to help with my cholesterol. I have been watching what I eat but the cholesterol does not go lower than 235 mg/dl. Is there any reason why I should take a vitamin supplement for my cholesterol?

A. Your sister may have some truth to what she is telling you. In the past 10 years scientists have found high levels of homocystiene to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease and other vascular diseases.  Scientists have concluded that homocystiene is up to 40 times more predictive than cholesterol in assessing cardiovascular disease risk.

Homocysteine is formed by the body as a naturally synthesized byproduct of methionine metabolism. Homocysteine, like cholesterol, is needed by the body and after it is used is broken down for other uses such as ATP and cysteine. If it does not break down and enters the bloodstream it will eventually attack the blood vessel walls causing scaring and laying the foundation for plaque and platelet formation, heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular disease. When homocysteine accumulates it causes oxidation of fats and free radicals causing platelets to stick together and free radical damage to the artery walls.

If certain enzymes, and catalysts are not present, homocysteine cannot be properly metabolized by the body. The absence of these enzymes may be due to genetic defects or more often due to nutrient deficiencies such as B-6, B-12, and folic acid.  For those who do not possess a genetic defect for homocysteine breakdown, supplementation with the deficient nutrients seen with elevated homocystiene may be encouraged. People with low levels of B vitamins and folic acid are smokers and users of birth control. Both are linked to high homocysteine levels and heart disease. Birth control pills deplete vitamin B-6 and smokers generally have low levels of folic acid and vitamin B-12.

Nutrients that may contribute to lowering homocysteine levels are (TMG) trimethylglycine, folic acid, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 although the jury is not totally out on what dosages of these nutrients are required to lower homocysteine.  A multi-vitamin cannot supply the dosages (folic acid and B-12) of all of the nutrients that have been found to lower homocysteine levels however taking a good daily multivitamin and eating a balanced diet can help to prevent nutrient deficiencies.

Low cholesterol food sources of B-6 are legumes, beans, grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables, B-12 are lean poultry, meats, and dairy products, folacin are fresh green leafy vegetables, legumes, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. Another thing that might help is the avoidance of too many convenience, highly processed snack foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and use olive oil and other sources of monounsaturated fats for cooking, salads, etc.

I hope this helped.  Please contact me for further information or if you have another question!