B to be heart disease free

A study done at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine has finally caught on to the truth about hormones and heart disease; that "women should not use estrogen replacement therapy as an effective treatment for heart disease."

Researchers used coronary angiography to assess the amount of blockage in the arteries of 309 volunteers. Subjects were then divided into three groups and took a placebo, estrogen, or estrogen with a certain type of progesterone (called medroxyprogesterone). After three years, the subjects had their artery blockage re-measured. The results showed that the estrogen and the estrogen plus progesterone both reduced LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, 9.4 percent and 16.5 percent respectively, and increased HDL ("good") cholesterol levels, 18.8 percent and 14.2 percent respectively.

While the changes in the cholesterol levels are significant, neither hormone treatment affected the progression of heart disease. This only supports my contention that cholesterol levels have no bearing on heart disease. The real cause of heart disease is homocysteine. Too much of this substance in your bloodstream can literally shred your arteries. Only when your arteries have been damaged by homocysteine does cholesterol become a problem, since it is then able to stick to the shreds--eventually leading to total blockage and heart disease.

Vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid-not hormones-are the keys to preventing heart disease. These nutrients can reduce and normalize homocysteine levels by converting it into cystathione and methionine, which are harmless and occur naturally in the body.

Take 2 milligrams each of vitamins B6 and B12 along with 1,000 micrograms of folic acid each day. These nutrients are available in any health food store or pharmacy.