Plasma homocysteine levels in indigenous Australians

Abstract

These data indicate that the high plasma levels of homocysteine of Australian indigenous subjects are associated with a history of vascular disease, and correlated with, among other things, smoking, and folate and vitamin B12 nutritional deficiency. These are potentially reversible risk factors, and our data suggest that focusing public health initiatives on these issues may reduce the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the Australian indigenous population.