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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 73, No. 2, 232-239, February 2001
© 2001 American Society for Clinical Nutrition

Original Research Communication

Genetic, dietary, and other lifestyle determinants of plasma homocysteine concentrations in middle-aged and older Chinese men and women in Singapore1,2,3

Seang-Mei Saw, Jian-Min Yuan, Choon-Nam Ong, Kazuko Arakawa, Hin-Peng Lee, Gerhard A Coetzee and Mimi C Yu

1 From the Department of Community, Occupational, and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore, and the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have identified the plasma homocysteine concentration as a risk factor for atherothrombotic vascular disease. There is little information on the distributions and determinants of homocysteine concentrations in Asian populations.

Objective: The present study was designed to examine the relations between genetic and lifestyle factors and plasma homocysteine concentrations among Chinese in Singapore.

Design: Plasma total homocysteine, folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 concentrations and genetic variation at the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) locus were measured in 486 Chinese men and women aged 45–74 y in Singapore. Data on dietary and other lifestyle factors were collected in face-to-face interviews.

Results: Men had higher plasma concentrations of total homocysteine than women (P = 0.0001). Age was positively associated with plasma homocysteine in both sexes (P for trend = 0.0001). Plasma concentrations of folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 were inversely associated with homocysteine concentrations. Among individuals with low plasma folate, those possessing 2 copies of MTHFR mutant alleles had significantly higher homocysteine concentrations than did those with >=1 copy of the wild-type allele. Cigarette smoking, daily coffee consumption, and physical inactivity were positively related to plasma homocysteine concentrations in both sexes (P < 0.05). However, these associations disappeared after adjustment for plasma folate concentrations.

Conclusions: Age, sex, plasma folate, vitamin B-12 and B-6 concentrations, and MTHFR genotype are independent determinants of plasma homocysteine in middle-aged and older Chinese in Singapore. These factors combined could account for up to 40% of the total variation in homocysteine concentrations in this Asian population.

Key Words: Homocysteine • folate • vitamin B-12 • vitamin B-6 • MTHFR genotype • methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase • physical activity • coffee • tea • alcohol • cigarette smoking • cholesterol • triacylglycerol • Chinese • vascular disease • cardiovascular disease • coronary artery disease • hyperhomocysteinemia




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