Homocysteine 16 μmol/L — what does it mean?
Repair-cycle exhaust (homocysteine)
- What most labs call normal
- under 15 μmol/L
- Where you actually want to sit
- under 8 μmol/L
What this test is
A waste by-product that builds up when your cells’ repair-and-recycle cycle isn’t running smoothly.
What your number means
Under 8 is the target. Above 10 is the real flag, even though most labs won’t comment until 15. Between 8 and 10 you’re still fine but drifting, and it almost always means B12, folate or B6 is running short.
Why it matters
When it piles up, it speeds up DNA damage and the fraying of your chromosomes’ protective caps — both hallmarks of ageing.
Think of homocysteine as exhaust fumes from your cells’ repair engine. When the engine has enough B-vitamins to run clean, the fumes get recycled away; when it stalls, they build up and start corroding your DNA.
What to do about it
This one is unusually easy to move. Topping up B12, folate and B6 brings most raised results down within a few months — check those three, correct what’s low, then retest.
Where it sits in your Body Age
Homocysteine is one of the tests behind Hidden Inflammation — How much quiet, low-grade inflammation is wearing your body down in the background. It is one of four areas that together give a single number: the age your body reads, next to the age on your birth certificate.
This page explains what a blood test measures. It is not a medical diagnosis and cannot tell you what your own result means for you — take that to a doctor.