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* Oxford Centre for Gene Function, University Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.,
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, ** Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway,
LOCUS for Homocysteine and Related Vitamins and 
Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care Institute of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, # Department for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: helga.refsum{at}physiol.ox.ac.uk.
The Hordaland Homocysteine Study (HHS) is a population-based study of more than 18,000 men and women in the county of Hordaland in Western Norway. The first investigation (HHS-I) took place in 199293, when the subjects were aged 4067 y. In 199799, a follow-up study (HHS-II) of 7,053 subjects was carried out. In this large population, plasma levels of total homocysteine (tHcy) are associated with several physiologic and lifestyle factors and common diseases. Increasing age, male sex, smoking, coffee consumption, high blood pressure, unfavorable lipid profile, high creatinine, and the MTHFR 677C > T polymorphism are among the factors associated with increased tHcy levels; physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption, and a good folate or vitamin B-12 status are associated with lower tHcy levels. Subjects with raised tHcy levels have increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality, and are more likely to suffer from depression and from cognitive deficit (elderly). Among women, raised tHcy levels are associated with decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of osteoporosis. Women with raised tHcy levels also have an increased risk of having suffered from pregnancy complications and an adverse pregnancy outcome. Significant associations between tHcy and clinical outcomes are usually observed for tHcy levels >15 µmol/L, but for most conditions, there is a continuous concentrationresponse relation with no apparent threshold concentration. Overall, the findings from HHS indicate that a raised tHcy level is associated with multiple clinical conditions, whereas a low tHcy level is associated with better physical and mental health.
KEY WORDS: homocysteine folate cobalamin vitamin B-12, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase blood analyses epidemiology humans risk factors chronic diseases mortality middle-aged aged cohort studies prospective studies cross-sectional studies
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