Optimal Result:
3.7 - 10.4 umol/L.
Homocysteine (Hcy) is not a classic amino acid found in dietary protein. Homocysteine’s only source in humans is the demethylation of s-adenosylmethionine (SAM).
Homocysteine is a major branch point in the methylation pathway. It can be metabolized via two pathways: degraded irreversibly through the transsulfuration pathway or re-methylated back to methionine. These two pathways are greatly affected by vitamin and mineral cofactor availability and enzymatic SNPs. [L]
Transsulfuration is the main route for irreversible Homocysteine disposal. Transsulfuration begins when Homocysteine is converted to cystathionine, using the cystathionine β-synthase enzyme (CBS). This reaction requires nutrient cofactors, such as vitamin B6 and iron.
Alternatively, Homocysteine can be re-methylated back to methionine. [L] Two distinct routes exist for Hcy remethylation. The first reaction is dependent on folate and vitamin B12. The second route for Homocysteine remethylation is independent of folate, but requires betaine. The betaine pathway for Homocysteine remethylation is a salvage pathway when folate metabolism abnormalities are present or in folate deficiency. [L] Under normal conditions, the body will remethylate Homocysteine several times before allowing irreversible transsulfuration. [L]
Whereas SAM-dependent methylation occurs in nearly all tissues, the transsulfuration pathway and Homocysteine remethylation occur primarily in the liver and kidneys. [L]
Homocysteine intracellular concentration is under tight control. As mentioned above, SAH accumulation must be avoided as it can inhibit all methylation reactions. Because of AHCY’s reversible nature, it is mandatory that intracellular Homocysteine concentrations are kept within strict limits. Optimal Homocysteine concentrations in cells are maintained or re-established through folate-dependent remethylation.
Whenever the cellular capacity to metabolize Homocysteine is exceeded, this amino acid will be exported to the extracellular space until intracellular levels are normalized. This results in elevated plasma Homocysteine levels. Exceptions are liver and kidney cells, where Homocysteine can enter the transsulfuration pathway.
Several factors can affect Homocysteine metabolism causing hyperhomocysteinemia. These include B-vitamin deficiencies, impaired renal excretion, advanced age, sex (male), smoking, alcohol, and genetic enzyme deficiencies. [L]
Elevated homocysteine levels have many clinical implications:
- Hyperhomocysteinemia is regarded as a risk factor for non-coronary atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Elevated homocysteine enhances vascular smooth-muscle cell proliferation, increases platelet aggregation, and acts on the coagulation cascade and fibrinolysis, causing normal endothelium to become more thrombotic. The mechanism may be related to elevations in SAH, due to the reversible nature of Hcy formation. [L] SAH has been shown to be a more sensitive marker in many diseases as previously outlined. [L], [L]
- Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, initially causes hypohomocysteinemia, due to renal hyperperfusion early in the diabetic nephropathy disease process. This progresses to hyperhomocysteinemia as renal function becomes compromised. [L], [L]
- Elevated homocysteine levels have also been implicated in gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. [L], [L] Hyperhomocysteinemia may be partially due to nutrient malabsorption (methyl donor and B-vitamin deficiency). Subsequently, elevated Hcy has been shown to induce inflammatory cytokines and contribute to disease progression. [L]
- Homocysteine can impair bone health by interfering with osteoclast activity. The increased Hcy impairs the cellular and molecular mechanism of bone marrow- derived osteoclasts by causing imbalance between phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation of various protein kinases that modulate bone cell remodeling. [L]
Homocysteinemia contributes to neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) and mood disorders. [L], [L], [L]
Elevated Hcy increases CNS phosphorylated tau leading to increased neurofibrillary tangle formation, seen in Alzheimer’s dementia. [L]
Hyperhomocysteinemia related to mood disorders may be multifactorial. Elevated Hcy causes elevations in SAH, which interferes
with many methyltransferase reactions involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and metabolism. Hcy may also have direct neurotoxic effects. Research is ongoing regarding the exact mechanisms regarding Hcy and psychiatric disorders. [L], [L]
Possible treatmenet options:
Dietary supplementation with folate, vitamin B12, and SAM has been shown to effectively lower plasma homocysteine levels and improve outcomes. [L], [L], [L]
Additional Note:
When referring to Hcy, the terms ‘homocysteine’ and ‘homocystine’ are used interchangeably. However, the reduced sulfhydryl form is ‘homocysteine,’ while the oxidized disulfide form is ‘homocystine.’ The composite of both forms are routinely described by the term ‘homocysteine. [L]
Most conventional laboratories that offer homocysteine measurement are actually measuring a total of homocystine, homocysteine, and SAH. To note, Genova’s Methylation Panel measures SAH and homocysteine as separate clinically significant entities. Homocystine (an oxidized form of homocysteine) is not measured by Genova. SAH and homocystine levels are negligible as compared to homocysteine, though direct comparisons have not yet been done by Genova.
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References:
- Schalinske KL, Smazal AL. Homocysteine imbalance: a pathological metabolic marker. Adv Nutr. 2012;3(6):755-762. [L]
- Castro R, Rivera I, Blom HJ, Jakobs C, Tavares de Almeida I. Homocysteine metabolism, hyperhomocysteinaemia and vascular disease: an overview. J Inher Metab Dis. 2006;29(1):3-20 [L]
- Stabler SP, Lindenbaum J, Savage DG, Allen RH. Elevation of serum cystathionine levels in patients with cobalamin and folate deficiency. Blood. 1993;81(12):3404-3413. [L]
- Williams KT, Schalinske KL. New insights into the regulation of methyl group and homocysteine metabolism. J Nutr. 2007;137(2):311-314. [L]
- Kerins DM, Koury MJ, Capdevila A, Rana S, Wagner C. Plasma S-adenosylhomocysteine is a more sensitive indicator of cardiovascular disease than plasma homocysteine. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001;74(6):723-729. [L]
- Wagner C, Koury MJ. S-Adenosylhomocysteine - a better indicator of vascular disease than homocysteine. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(6):1581-1585. [L]
- Poirier LA, Brown AT, Fink LM, et al. Blood S-adenosylmethionine concentrations and lymphocyte methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase activity in diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy. Metabolism. 2001;50(9):1014-1018. [L]
- Behera J, Bala J, Nuru M, Tyagi SC, Tyagi N. Homocysteine as a pathological biomarker for bone disease. J Cell Physiol. 2017;232(10):2704-2709. [L]
- Gariballa S. Testing homocysteine-induced neurotransmitter deficiency, and depression of mood hypothesis in clinical practice. Age Ageing. 2011;40(6):702-705. [L]
- Jankovic J. Parkinson’s disease: clinical features and diagnosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psych. 2008;79(4):368-376. [L]
- Obeid R, Schadt A, Dillmann U, Kostopoulos P, Fassbender K, Herrmann W. Methylation status and neurodegenerative markers in Parkinson disease. Clin Chem. 2009;55(10):1852- 1860. [L]
- Popp J, Lewczuk P, Linnebank M, Cvetanovska G, Smulders Y, Kölsch H. Homocysteine metabolism and cerebrospinal fluid markers for Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2009;18. [L]
- Kevere L, Purvina S, Bauze D, et al. Elevated serum levels of homocysteine as an early prognostic factor of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Schizophr Res Treatment. 2012;2012:373261. [L]
- Hei G, Pang L, Chen X, et al. [Association of serum folic acid and homocysteine levels and 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism with schizophrenia]. Zhonghua yi xue za zhi. 2014;94(37):2897-2901. [L]
- Wald DS, Bishop L, Wald NJ, et al. Randomized trial of folic acid supplementation and serum homocysteine levels. Arch Int Med. 2001;161(5):695-700. [L]
- Plasma Homocyst(e)ine or Homocysteine New Engl J Med. 1995;333(5):325-325. [L]
- DeStefano Vea. Linkage disequilibrium at the cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) locus and the association between genetic variation at the CBS locus and plasma levels of homocysteine. Ann Human Genet. 1998;62(6):481-490. [L]
- Turner MA, Yang X, Yin D, Kuczera K, Borchardt RT, Howell PL. Structure and function of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2000;33(2):101-125. [L]
- Cullen CE, Carter GT, Weiss MD, Grant PA, Saperstein DS. Hypohomocysteinemia: a potentially treatable cause of peripheral neuropathology- Phys Med Rehab Clin. 2012;23(1):59-65. [L]
- Ohuchi S, Matsumoto Y, Morita T, Sugiyama K. High-casein diet suppresses guanidinoacetic acid-induced hyperhomocysteinemia and potentiates the hypohomocysteinemic effect of serine in rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2008;72(12):3258-3264. [L]
- Kawakami Y, Ohuchi S, Morita T, Sugiyama K. Hypohomocysteinemic effect of cysteine is associated with increased plasma cysteine concentration in rats fed diets low in protein and methionine levels. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol. 2009;55(1):66-74. [L]
- Ho V, Massey TE, King WD. Effects of methionine synthase and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms on markers of one-carbon metabolism. Genes Nutr. 2013;8(6):571- 580. [L]
- Obeid R. The metabolic burden of methyl donor deficiency with focus on the betaine homocysteine methyltransferase pathway. Nutrients. 2013;5(9):3481-3495. [L]
- Gaughan DJ, Kluijtmans LA, Barbaux S, et al. The methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphism is a novel genetic determinant of plasma homocysteine concentrations. Atherosclerosis. 2001;157(2):451-456. [L]
- Ueland PM. Choline and betaine in health and disease. J Inher 20. Metab Dis. 2011;34(1):3-15. [L]
- van der Gaag MS, Ubbink JB, Sillanaukee P, Nikkari S, Hendriks HF. Effect of consumption of red wine, spirits, and beer on serum homocysteine. Lancet. 2000;355(9214):1522. [L]
- O’Callaghan P, European Cg, Meleady R, et al. Smoking and plasma homocysteine. Eur Heart J. 2002;23(20):1580-1586. [L]
- Vitamin B6 or iron deficiency (CBS enzyme cofactors)
- Enzymatic deficiency in MTR/MTRR/BHMT [L], [L], [L]
- Folate deficiency with low choline intake [L]
- Alcohol [L]
- Tobacco [L]
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Elevated levels are associated with:
– Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease
– Osteopenia
– Neurodegenerative conditions – Mood disorders
– IBD and colon cancer risk
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A chronic elevation in homocysteine levels results in a parallel increase in intracellular or plasma SAH, which is a more sensitive biomarker of cardiovascular disease than homocysteine and suggests that SAH is a critical pathological factor in homocysteine-associated disorders. Previous reports indicate that supplementation with folate and B vitamins efficiently lowers homocysteine levels but not plasma SAH levels, which possibly explains the failure of homocysteine-lowering vitamins to reduce vascular events in several recent clinical intervention studies.
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- Unknown clinical significance
- May be a sign of over-methylation, though literature not available
- CBS SNP in the presence of oxidative stress or inflammation [L], [L]
- AHCY deficiency (lack of vitamin B3) [L]
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The clinical implications associated with low homocysteine levels are not well represented in literature. Furthermore, there is no consensus on what constitutes a ‘low level’ or if it is something that needs correcting.
However, because Hcy is used to make glutathione and is remethylated to maintain methionine levels, the theoretical importance of low Hcy exists. Without Hcy, glutathione production is compromised. Excessive oxidative stress may accelerate the transsulfuration pathway toward glutathione production, which can lower Hcy. A SNP in the CBS enzyme accelerates homocysteine transsulfuration, which may result in a low Hcy.
Many ‘methylation experts’ and key opinion leaders teach that low plasma homocysteine leads to disease and can be cancer-producing; therefore it should be corrected. Many recommend protein and sulfur-containing foods, as well as evaluating for excessive oxidative stress and decreasing methyl support. There is currently no literature that has looked at correcting low plasma homocysteine.
Literature is evolving to include low Hcy implications; however, the only literature-based clinical correlation currently available is an association with peripheral neuropathy. [L] There are a few animal studies looking for implications, physiologic impacts, and treatment strategies to correct hypohomocysteinemia, but currently no human studies exist. [L], [L]
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Import Lab Results from Any Source
Easily upload lab results from any provider, whether it's a hospital, independent lab, or home testing service. We support PDFs, scanned documents, and JPEGs from patient portals. No need to log in to multiple platforms — everything is centralized in one secure space.
Easily upload lab results from any provider — we support PDFs, scans, and images. Keep all your reports organized in one secure place.
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Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey. Whether you're tracking a condition, managing treatments, or staying proactive, the timeline helps you and your doctor understand how things progress over time.
Every lab result is automatically organized on a chronological timeline, giving you a complete picture of your health journey.
Understand What Your Results Mean
Whether it's a blood test, GI panel, urinalysis, or something else, lab reports measure numerous biomarkers that reveal what's happening inside your body. Our extensive database covers over 10,000 biomarkers, providing clear, simple explanations of what each result means and how you can take action—no matter your membership level. Say goodbye to confusion and get the insights you need to better understand your health.
Our database covers over 10,000 biomarkers with clear, simple explanations—so you can finally understand your results and what to do next.
Enter Your Lab Reports Yourself — Always Free
Enter Your Lab Reports — Always Free
If you'd like to handle inputting your health data into your account, you can do so with our easy-to-use data entry forms. Our user-friendly form is designed to guide you through the quick and easy submission process, making it simple to keep track of your health metrics. This is available to both Complete plan and Unlimited plan members.
Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
Visualize Your Results
View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
Export Your Complete Lab History in a Single File
Export Your Complete Lab History
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
Comprehensive Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
Share your full lab history with your doctor, nutritionist, or coach using a secure invite link.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
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What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!
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As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
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Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.
Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.
Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
2. All Tests ViewExplore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.
3. Table View:For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.
Yes, you can download your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.
Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.
The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
