Objective: To examine whether diet is an independent determinant for total homocysteine (tHcy) levels.
Design: Data on background variables was collected by questionnaire interviews, food intake by one 24 h recall and tHcy levels in a blood sample in 310 healthy men (mean age, 38 y).
Setting: Two oil producing platforms in the Norwegian sector in the north sea.
Results: The arithmetic mean (s.d.) and median tHcy levels were 10.4 (2.9) mumol/L and 9.9 mumol/L, respectively. In a covariance analysis, mean adjusted plasma tHcy decreased by 7-21% from no intake to highest category of intake of bread, vegetables, and skimmed milk, and increased by 8-9% from less than 30% to above 35% energy from fat, and from no intake to one liter or more for coffee. Smokers had a lower intake of cereals, bread vegetables and fruits, but ate more fat and meat. Thus, smoking may have an indirect effect on the tHcy level through its effect on diet. In a multiple regression model, bread and vegetables were negatively associated with tHcy, while fat was positively associated.
Conclusions: The results suggest that changes in diet may be an important means to lower the tHcy level in the overall population, and that dietary advice should be considered in subjects diagnosed with elevated tHcy levels.