Blood homoysteine, its associated factors, atheroscerosis and cardiovasular desease

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11470103
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public health/Health science
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: ISO Hiroyasu University of Tsukuba, Community medicine, Professor, 社会医学系, 教授 (50223053)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MORIYAMA Yuri Public Health Institute of Kochi Prefecture, Chief, 保健科学部・地域保健, 主任研究員 ; KITAMURA Akihiko Osaka Medical Center for Health Science and Promotion, Chief, 健康度測定部, 医長 ; TANIGAWA Takeshi University of Tsukuba, Community medicine, Assistant Professor, 社会医学系, 講師 (80227214)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2001
• Keywords: Homoysteine / Carotid atherosclerosis / Folate / Vitamins B / Genetic polymorphisms / Epidemiologic studies

Research Abstract

We have conducted cross-sectional and prospective nested-case control studies to investigate associated factors for blood homocysteine, the relation between homocysteine and carotid atherosclerosis, and the relation between homocysteine and the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. The subjects were 3,071 men and women aged 40-79 in Ibaraki rural community and 965 participants aged 20-74 in clinic health examination of Kochi for a cross-sectional study. Associated factors for high blood homocysteine concentrations were low serum concentrations of folate and low vitamin B12 and low dietary intakes of vegetables, seaweed and fish
Associated factors for homocysteine were age, hypertension, body mass index, and cigarette smoking. Age-adjusted plasma homocysteine levels were higher for both men and women with the homozygous genotype for the mutation than those who were heterozygous or had no mutation. Elevated homocysteine levels in homozygous genotype was attenuated among persons with higher serum levels of vitamin B12 and folate, but not vitamin B6, and among persons with the combination of lower folate and higher vitamin B12 and of higher folate and higher vitamin B12, split by the median. Thus, elevated homocysteine levels among Japanese with the homozygous genotype for the MTHFR gene mutation can be modified efficiently by dietary supplement of vitamin B12 as well as folate.
A prospective nested case-control study was conducted using frozen serum samples from 7,450 participants in cardiovascular risk surveys, collected from 1984-1989 for one community and 1989-1992 for the other two communities. We identified 74 incident strokes whose subtypes were confirmed by imaging studies. Three controls per case were selected by matching for sex, age, community, year of serum storage and fasting status. The multivariate odds ratio of total stroke for highest vs lowest quartiles of serum homocysteine was 2.6 (1.0, 6.6), P = 0.04. We found that high homocystens predicted the risk of total stroke among Japanese.

Research Products

• [Publications] Moriyama Y, et al.: "Effects of serum B vitamins on elevated plasma homocysteine levels associated with the moutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene in Japanese"J. Epidemiol. 11.1(Suppl). 136 (2001)
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
• [Publications] Moriyama Y, et al.: "Effects of serum B vitamins on elevated plasma homoysteine levels associated with the mutation of methylenetetiahydrofo late reduction gene in Japanese"Atherosclerosis. (in press). (2002)
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
• [Publications] Moriyama Y, et al: "Effects of seram B vitamins on elevated plasma homocysteine levels associated with the mutation of melthylonetetrahydrofolate reductase gene"J. Epidemiol 2001. 11.1 (suppl). 136
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
• [Publications] Moriyama Y, et al: "Effects of serum B vitamins on elevated plasma homocysteine levels associated with the mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene in Japanese"Atherosclerosis 2002. (in press).
  • Description: 「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より