Does elevated homocysteine predict coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality in the general population?
Homocysteine Test, a meta-analysis (J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2015, PMID 25559959) — for each 5 μmol/L homocysteine increment, the pooled RR was 1.52 for CHD mortality, 1.32 for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.27 for all-cause mortality. The abstract for Homocysteine Test states no limitations.
Source: J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2015, PMID 25559959 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B · 2015 · PMID 25559959 · DOI 10.1631/jzus.B1400183
Higher homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes and all causes, especially in older adults.
The question
Does elevated homocysteine predict coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality in the general population?
What they tested
The study hypothesized that elevated homocysteine levels would be a predictor of increased mortality.
How they did it
A meta-analysis was conducted by systematically searching PubMed and Embase for prospective observational studies published before October 2013. The studies evaluated the association between baseline homocysteine levels and CHD, cardiovascular, or all-cause mortality. Pooled adjusted risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for both categorical and continuous risk estimates.
What they found
Twelve studies with 23,623 subjects were included. Comparing the highest to lowest homocysteine categories, CHD mortality increased by 66%, cardiovascular mortality by 68%, and all-cause mortality by 93%. For each 5 μmol/L homocysteine increment, the pooled RR was 1.52 for CHD mortality, 1.32 for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.27 for all-cause mortality.
| CHD Mortality (Highest vs. Lowest Category) | 66 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Mortality (Highest vs. Lowest Category) | 68 | |
| All-Cause Mortality (Highest vs. Lowest Category) | 93 |
Percentage increase in mortality when comparing the highest homocysteine level categories to the lowest.
What it means
Elevated homocysteine levels are an independent predictor for subsequent cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. The risks were more pronounced in elderly individuals.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the meta-analysis.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Magellan’s evidence label | Plasma homocysteine (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors) |
|---|---|
| Journal | J Zhejiang Univ Sci B |
| Year | 2015 |
| PMID | 25559959 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1631/jzus.B1400183 ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Homocysteine Test
Elevated levels predict cardiovascular mortality. Research relevant to this mechanism is indexed on PubMed and linked below; it describes the mechanism rather than this specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does elevated homocysteine predict coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality in the general population? [Plain-English summary of J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2015, PMID 25559959, DOI 10.1631/jzus.B1400183]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s146.html@misc{magellan_s146,
title = {Does elevated homocysteine predict coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality in the general population?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s146.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 25559959; DOI 10.1631/jzus.B1400183; J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2015. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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