These findings make sense because elevated homocysteine is a marker for:

• Vitamin B-12 deficiency
• Folic acid deficiency
• A deficiency of both vitamin B-12 and folic acid
  

Homocysteine is also a well-documented risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is related to both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin B-12 is required for a healthy central nervous system, and up to 10 percent of patients with pernicious anemia have prominent mental symptoms, including memory loss.

Both vitamin B-12 and folate are also necessary to ensure adequate methylation by S-adenosylmethionine in the synthesis of:

• Neurotransmitters
• Myelin
• Phosphatidylcholine
• Other compounds important to the nervous system
  

Many people routinely take high-dose vitamin supplements, and folic acid is typically in them. They also have vitamin B-12 in them, but because vitamin B-12 is such a large molecule it is very poorly absorbed and requires sublingual (under the tongue), injection therapy or transdermal application for optimum absorption. Because of this, vitamin B-12 deficiency is more likely to be a result of elevated homocysteine levels.

This is quite consistent with the finding that many vegetarians have elevated homocysteine levels, since vegetarian diets are often lacking in vitamin B-12. So one thing you can do is eat plenty of raw vegetables as they have been shown to reduce homocysteine levels by increasing levels of folic acid.

However, if you are a vegetarian you will certainly want to get very serious about optimizing your vitamin B-12 levels. Since B-12 is readily available in most meat, low levels are not a problem for most people until they get older and lose the ability to make intrinsic factor to help them absorb vitamin B-12.

Living Fuel Rx is an excellent option for vegetarians as it provides nearly all of the essential nutrients, including vitamin B-12, in a convenient powder form. Ideally, you would get your nutrients from fresh, whole foods, but if you are concerned that an element is missing from your diet, Living Fuel Rx is a good choice to ensure your body gets all of the nutrients it needs.

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