Correlates of plasma homocysteine, cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine in respondents in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people aged 4-18 years, and a comparison with the survey of people aged 65 years and over.
Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine were measured in a representative sample of 922 young people aged 4-18 years, participating in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in mainland Britain in 1997. Both tHcy and cysteine increased markedly with age; cysteinyl-glycine less so. Neither tHcy nor cysteine differed between genders; cysteinyl-glycine was higher in males. tHcy concentrations were lowest in the winter; cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine varied only slightly with season. In respondents aged >15 years, tHcy was higher in smokers, but in respondents aged 7-11 years, tHcy was higher in those whose mothers smoked. tHcy was inversely correlated with serum folate, serum vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 status, but neither cysteine nor cysteinyl-glycine shared these relationships. The relationships between tHcy and B-vitamin status indices ran parallel with those of the 65 years and over survey, but at much lower tHcy concentrations for any given B-vitamin concentration. Age-adjusted tHcy was not correlated with anthropometric indices, blood pressure, haematology, plasma creatinine, urea or cholesterol, but was directly correlated with fasting triacylglycerol. We conclude that disease-risk indices, like tHcy and perhaps cysteine, if established during early life, may be modulated by diet and lifestyle, thereby providing an opportunity for public health intervention.
Bates
C J
CJ
MRC Human Nutrition Research, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Cambridge, UK. Chris.Bates@mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk
Mansoor
M A
MA
Gregory
Jan
J
Pentiev
Kristina
K
Prentice
Ann
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D006113:United Kingdom; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D025101:Vitamin B 6 / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D004151:Dipeptides; D006710:Homocysteine; C028505:cysteinylglycine; D025101:Vitamin B 6; D005492:Folic Acid; D003545:Cysteine; D014805:Vitamin B 12