High protein diets carry risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Homocysteine, an amino acid, is a natural substance that the body produces from protein. Research shows an elevated homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Ask your doctor about a homocysteine count on your next blood test. At elevated levels homocysteine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease that may damage coronary arteries or make it easier for blood clotting cells called "platelets" to clump together and form