Homocysteine and folate levels in postmenopausal women

Objectives: To assess total homocysteine (tHcy) and folate levels in postmenopausal women and investigate whether age, menopause duration, kind of menopause and tobacco use had an effect on these levels. Methods: Total homocysteine and folate levels were measured in fasting blood samples of 200 postmenopausal women with normal thyroid and renal function tests. Patients were not receiving vitamins or hormone replacement therapy. Results: Total homocysteine levels increased significantly after 60 years while folate levels showed a decrease trend after 65 years. Menopause duration had no effect on folate levels and increased significantly tHcy levels after > 180 months duration. The kind of menopause did not influence tHcy and folate levels. Tobacco use reduced significantly folate levels. Conclusions: Age seems to be the principal factor influencing tHcy levels. We believe that decreased folate levels also reflect an age-associated inadequate dietary intake. Tobacco use did not alter tHcy levels; however, we found smoking to lower folate levels. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.