Effects of marathon running on plasma total homocysteine concentrations.

Summary Aims There is evidence of an excess of acute cardiovascular (CV) events in marathon runners. High plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are a recognised risk factor for CV events. Therefore, we investigated the changes in plasma tHcy concentrations 24 h before and after a marathon race. Methods and results Twenty-two non-professional male athletes, mean age 35.6 (6.6), range 23–49 years, were studied the day before and 24 h after finishing a marathon race. None of the athletes was a carrier of the MTHFR 677TT genotype and no ingestion of supplements of vitamins (B12, B6, folic acid) was allowed. Results Changes in plasma folate and plasma vitamin B12 concentrations were no…