• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2000

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been shown to be associated with increased risks for macrovascular angiopathy. The present study was conducted to document the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels and the presence of macrovascular angiopath in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus. Plasma total homocysteine was determined by a HPLC-fluorescence detection method in a total of 238 subjects, 127 diabetic patients and 111 control. Dietary information including folate intake was assessed by a 24-hour recall in a total 113 subjects, 70 diabetic patients and 43 control. Folate intake was significantly lower inn patients with diabetes mellitus than that in the control. The lowered folate intake in the diabetic patients was mainly due to reduced intakes of fruits and vegetables. The average plasma homocysteine level of patients with MA was 14.2$\mu$㏖/L, which was significantly higher than that of either the patients without MA(11.4$\mu$㏖/L) or the control(11.5$\mu$㏖/L). Twenty five percent of the diabetic patients were positively correlated with age (r=0.20), body weight (r=0.28), body mass index (r=0.28), body mass index (r=0.18), diastolic blood pressure (r=0.20), and total cholesterol (r=0.14). cigarette smokers had significantly higher levels of plasma homocysteine than the non-smokers. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate whether folate or other B vitamin supplementation could be beneficial for the prevention of hyperhomocysteinemia or macrovascular angiopathy in the diabetic patients.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.79-83
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• 2007

The present study was conducted to document the association between plasma homocysteine levels and the presence of macrovascular angiopathy with food and nutrient intake patterns among patients with Type II diabetes mellitus in Korea. Plasma total homocysteine concentration was analyzed by HPLC-fluorescence detector method in 127 patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Logistic regression analyses were performed respectively to study the association of plasma homocysteine levels with clinical and dietary characteristics and macroangiopathy (MA). The average plasma homocysteine level of patients with MA was $14.2{\mu}mol/l$, which was significantly higher than that of patients without MA ($11.4{\mu}mol/l$). The proportions of patients with MA showed a significant difference, being 32.3% in hyperhomocysteinemic ($>14.0{\mu}mol/l$) patients and 13.5% in others with homocysteine levels lower than $14.0{\mu}mol/l$. Odds ratios for macroangiopathy by tertile increase of plasma homocysteine concentration were 1.633 ($Q_2$) and 4.831 ($Q_3$), when adjusted for age, sex, and cigarette smoking. Patients with MA consumed reduced amounts of vitamin $B_1,\;B_2$, and folate. The results indicate that the plasma homocysteine levels are significantly increased in NIDDM patients who have macroangiopathy. Dietary management such as increased fruits and vegetables and decreased potatoes and starches might be beneficial for the prevention of macroangiopathy in diabetic patients.