Biomarkers · Metabolic
Homocysteine
Lower values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).
Homocysteine and risk of death
Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher
Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).
Homocysteine by age and sex
Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.
The percentiles as a table
| Sex | Age | 5th | 25th | Median | 75th | 95th | n | Cycle / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 20-39 | 4.66 | 5.95 | 6.82 | 8.14 | 11.2 | 1,401 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| All | 40-59 | 5.15 | 6.57 | 7.91 | 9.40 | 12.8 | 1,368 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| All | 60+ | 6.03 | 7.73 | 9.41 | 11.7 | 17.5 | 1,413 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| All | all | 4.99 | 6.43 | 7.83 | 9.50 | 13.8 | 4,182 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Men | 20-39 | 5.46 | 6.49 | 7.67 | 8.80 | 11.6 | 743 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Men | 40-59 | 6.16 | 7.41 | 8.61 | 10.2 | 13.8 | 675 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Men | 60+ | 6.63 | 8.43 | 10.0 | 12.1 | 18.1 | 734 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Men | all | 5.84 | 7.10 | 8.43 | 10.1 | 14.2 | 2,152 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Women | 20-39 | 4.42 | 5.38 | 6.20 | 7.18 | 9.80 | 658 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Women | 40-59 | 4.74 | 6.05 | 7.06 | 8.55 | 11.6 | 693 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Women | 60+ | 5.76 | 7.40 | 8.87 | 11.1 | 16.5 | 679 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
| Women | all | 4.67 | 5.99 | 7.08 | 8.78 | 13.3 | 2,030 | NHANES 2005-2006 |
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in Homocysteine, study by study
3 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| clinical | Bilateral upper-limb remote ischaemic conditioning, 5 cycles of 5-min ischaemia/reperfusion twice daily for 1 year, in patients with cerebral small-vessel disease and mild cognitive impairment | Homocysteine change -4.737 umol/L with RIC vs -1.679 umol/L with sham over 1 year (P=0.044) | RCT | Wang Y, et al. Stroke. 2017. Remote Ischemic Conditioning May Improve Outcomes… |
| supplement | Oral folic acid 5 mg daily for 6 weeks in healthy adults with mild hyperhomocysteinaemia (Hcy >13 umol/L), randomized placebo-controlled crossover | Plasma homocysteine 8.7 +/- 2.5 umol/L on folate vs 12.1 +/- 3.6 umol/L on placebo after six weeks; flow-mediated dilatation improved | RCT | Bellamy MF, et al. European journal of clinical investigation. 1999. Oral… |
| supplement | Daily folic acid 0.8 mg plus vitamin B12 0.4 mg (with or without vitamin B6 40 mg) for a median 40 months after acute myocardial infarction (NORVIT) | Mean total homocysteine lowered by 27% with folic acid plus B12, with no reduction in recurrent cardiovascular events (RR 1.08) | RCT | Bønaa KH, et al. The New England journal of medicine. 2006. Homocysteine… |
What else moves this marker
They describe those study groups, not an individual, and an association is not a cause.
Diseases and conditions
| What | Effect on the marker | Comparison · population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↑ Cervical artery dissection · CAD patients vs controls | SMD +0.96 (95% CI 0.42 to 1.49) | cervical artery dissection vs controls · 8 case-control studies | meta analysis · PMID 24903192 |
| ↑ Depressive symptoms in older adults · mean tHcy 15.1 vs 13.9 umol/L with vs without depressive symptoms | +1.2 umol/L | depressive symptoms (NPI-depression) vs none · Older Hispanics (>=55 y), Maracaibo Aging Study, Venezuela | cross sectional · PMID 33579837 |
| ↑ Heart failure · HF patients vs controls | SMD +1.148 (95% CI 0.715 to 1.581) | heart failure vs controls · 12 studies | meta analysis · PMID 34414939 |
| ↑ Heart failure, NYHA class III-IV · NYHA III/IV HF patients vs controls | SMD +3.361 (95% CI 1.902 to 4.82) | NYHA III-IV heart failure vs controls · 12 studies | meta analysis · PMID 34414939 |
Sources
- Risk curve: Fan 2017 (PMID 28684797): all-cause RR 1.336 (1.254-1.422) per 5 umol/L increase in homocysteine (dose-response, linear). Scaled to US values (NHANES).
- Fan et al. Association between Homocysteine Levels and All-cause Mortality: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. Scientific reports. 2017;7:4769.
Map Homocysteine against another biomarker.
Related markers: Serum Citrate