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