| By now, everybody knows about the dangers of | | | | benefits of vitamin B-6 and heart health, you can |
| cholesterol, smoking, and a high-fat diet. Not everybody | | | | protect your heart for just pennies a day. And you will |
| knows about the potential of vitamin B-6.Vitamin B6 | | | | also get protection for your brain.When homocysteine |
| benefits are vital in your daily supplementation routine | | | | levels are high, your body can't make SAM-e. This is |
| because it fights another culprit in cardiovascular illness, | | | | the same SAM-e you see in supplement outlets for |
| namely homocysteine. Time and time for over 10 | | | | everything from depression to fibromyalgia. When you |
| years scientists have shown that even mildly elevated | | | | take vitamin B-6, your body can convert excess |
| levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream raise the | | | | homocysteine into this mood-lifting, brain-protective |
| risk of heart disease.Homocysteine is a naturally | | | | compound.Preventing vitamin B-6 deficiency may help |
| occurring amino acid. By itself, it's not bad. It's even part | | | | protect you against Alzheimer's disease, depression, |
| of the process the body uses to make its own | | | | memory loss, and even fibromyalgia and insomnia.How |
| SAM-e. But when there's not enough vitamin B-6, B12, | | | | Much Vitamin B-6 Should You Take?In the USA, the |
| and folic acid, homocysteine builds up in the blood and | | | | recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin B-6 is |
| causes arterial damage.High homocysteine levels may | | | | 2 mg. Researchers at Harvard University studied a |
| be even more damaging than high cholesterol levels, | | | | group of 80,000 nurses and found that the amount of |
| but the benefits of vitamin B-6 include protecting your | | | | vitamin B-6 needed for heart protection is more than |
| heart.A clinical study in Poland found taking just 300 mg | | | | twice that amount, at least 4.6 mg a day. You can |
| of vitamin B-6 every day for two months (along with | | | | round that number up to 5 mg a day for ease in |
| adequate amounts of vitamin B12, that is, 1000 | | | | checking labels.What's the Safety of Vitamin B-6? Is |
| micrograms weekly, and folic acid, 5 mg daily) cut | | | | There a Risk of a B-6 Overdose? Is There Any |
| homocysteine levels in half.And this B-vitamin combo | | | | Toxicity of Vitamin B-6?Well, yes. A few women have |
| also reduced levels of thrombin, the clotting agent that | | | | taken 500 to 5,000 times the recommended daily |
| sets the stage for a heart attack or stroke.Protecting | | | | dosage of vitamin B-6 for 2 months to 4 years to |
| your heart against the perils of homocysteine is simple, | | | | prevent PMS and suffered permanent nerve damage. |
| but most people don't do it. A researcher at Emory | | | | The amount of vitamin B-6 they took is equivalent to |
| University, Atlanta, GA, Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr., MD, | | | | taking a handful of pure B-6 every day for several |
| MSPM, says "approximately 70% of the adult | | | | years at a cost of over $10 a day. You will never |
| population in the United States is exposed to a risk | | | | experience this problem if you take a balanced daily |
| factor for cardiovascular disease-an elevated plasma | | | | supplement in the dosage recommended by the |
| homocysteine concentration-that can be easily | | | | manufacturer.Oktay Ozadam has an avid interest in |
| avoided simply by consuming a B vitamin | | | | health and well-being and is a senior editor of Find out |
| supplement."But if you know the truth about the | | | | more about all kinds of natural health supplements . |