It’s common to associate cardiovascular issues with working out and taking part in sports, yet it’s something that impacts your daily life. Simple tasks like walking upstairs or mowing the lawn leave you out of breath, puffing for air as your heart rate rises rapidly. This happens because your heart can’t pump blood around your body quick enough, so you’re trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible. In an extreme scenario, physical exertion can cause a heart attack because your cardiovascular health is so poor that your heart is put under too much strain and can’t cope with the demands. Long story short, cardiovascular health is essential to living a happy and fulfilling life. While regular bouts of exercise and staying active contribute to better cardiovascular health, there’s also a strong link between 5-MTHF (the active form of folate) and better heart health. It stems from 5-MTHF’s relationship with homocysteine levels – all of which we’ll discuss throughout this article.
So, if you want to know how 5-MTHF supports cardiovascular health, then read on!
5-MTHF & Homocysteine Explained
What is 5-MTHF? As (very briefly) noted, it’s the active form of folate. It’s sometimes referred to as Vitamin B9, and it’s the form of folate that your body can use for different internal processes. Some of these processes include:
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- Cell growth
- DNA formation
- Homocysteine metabolism
That brings us nicely to the second important element of this article: homocysteine.
Effectively, homocysteine is an amino acid that’s present within your bloodstream. Like all amino acids, it aids in the creation of proteins – though certain vitamins (including folate) are needed to break it down so it becomes chemically usable. If homocysteine isn’t broken down properly, then it stays in the bloodstream and can cause serious health problems, including cardiovascular issues.
A study from 2015 explained this perfectly by looking at what elevated levels of homocysteine did to the human body. It discovered that this amino acid remodelled the arterial wall and caused excessive damage, leading to an increase in common cardiovascular problems, such as:
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- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Atrial fibrillation
- Blood clots
This is because the damage it does to your blood vessels makes it easier for fat and cholesterol to build up within them, causing the problems above.
Using 5-MTHF To Lower Homocysteine Levels
Two things need to be considered here:
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- What constitutes “high” homocysteine levels?
- How does 5-MTHF reduce homocysteine in the body?
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According to Healthline, higher levels of homocysteine are usually categorized as anything above 15-30 mcmol/L. That’s on the moderate side of things – if your levels are above 100 mcmol/L, then that’s classified as a very severe case that demands immediate attention. You’ll need a blood test to get the proper readings.
With that in mind, we come to the role of 5-MTHF in lowering your homocysteine levels. It’s widely recommended as a supplement for people with high levels of this amino acid in their system – and having higher levels of homocysteine is often seen as a symptom of vitamin B9 deficiency.
There’s a lot of evidence to back this up, with one research paper from 2015 looking at the effects of cyclic supplementation of folate for the correction of hyperhomocysteinemia. It found that a cycle of 5-MTHF supplements taken every day for 1 month (followed by a 2-month break) drastically reduced homocysteine levels over two years. Subjects went from an average of 31.6 mcmol/L to 14.4 mcmol/L after just one treatment – and then all the way down to 12.18 mcmol/L after the full two years.
Going back even further in time, research from 2002 showed a clinical trial where subjects were given folate supplements to see how it impacted their homocysteine levels. Once more, the evidence supports 5-MTHF as a beneficial supplement, showing that homocysteine levels fell from 11.6 mcmol/L to 9.0 mcmol/L and 8.7 mcmol/L across 3 and 7 weeks.
Therefore, it’s scientifically proven that folate is a must-have vitamin if you want to manage homocysteine levels and keep them at a healthy level where they can’t do any harm.
Benefits of Folate for Heart Health
We’ve already established that high levels of homocysteine are linked to cardiovascular health problems. As a consequence, reducing these levels will make your heart healthier, meaning folate can be considered a good supplement for overall cardiovascular wellness.
But there’s even more evidence to support this claim, with one study from 2021 being the most recent. The researchers learned that supplementing the body with 5-MTHF helped to reduce blood pressure levels in patients with high blood pressure. Moreover, these patients had previously undergone treatment for hypertension and had seen no results. It put the effects down to folate’s interaction with homocysteine, and that reducing homocysteine levels helped lower blood pressure.
High blood pressure is responsible for a lot of heart problems, including heart disease. Thus, we can conclude there’s a very positive link between folate and heart disease prevention based on the evidence shown. It all cycles back to what we mentioned earlier about high homocysteine levels damaging the arteries and leading to plaque buildup, which then causes atherosclerosis. Lowering these levels will reverse this and ensure you have healthy arteries that carry blood throughout your body and allow your heart to function without excessive effort.
Support Your Cardiovascular Health With 5-MTHF Supplements
If you want to see the benefits of folate for heart health, then the best option is to use 5-MTHF supplements. At Intelligent Labs, we’ve got two excellent supplements for you to try:
Both contain high doses of quatrefolic acid, which is the most bioavailable form of folate and the easiest for your body to absorb. They’re manufactured in a GMP-certified facility and third-party tested for potency and purity to ensure they work and yield the benefits you’re looking for.
One capsule of either supplement per day is enough to keep homocysteine levels normal. This will reduce your risk of blood clots, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. The 1mg version is a good daily supplement for anyone, while the 5mg is better suited to individuals who have high homocysteine levels and need to lower them.
In conclusion, heart health is the most important aspect of your entire health. You need a healthy heart to make your body work and do the things you love for as long as possible. Folate is key to this as it tackles one of the leading causes of cardiovascular problems: excessive homocysteine levels. Check out our supplements to maintain good heart health and combine them with regular exercise and a balanced diet to see the best effects.
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References
(1) Role of homocysteine in the development of cardiovascular disease
(2) Cyclic supplementation of 5-MTHF is effective for the correction of hyperhomocysteinemia
(3) Effect of low doses of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and folic acid on plasma homocysteine in healthy subjects with or without the 677C-->T polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
(4) New Evidence for Homocysteine Lowering for Management of Treatment-Resistant Hypertension
