What did you just call me?

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Dr. G

No, MTHFR is not an abbreviation of a mean term. MTHFR is an acronym for a specific enzyme in the body that turns one form of nutrient into another that is used to carry out a chemical process that occurs in every cell in the body. This chemical process is called methylation. Why is this important? We live in a world markedly different from what our genes are adapted to, and we are not going to reverse that trend. So, we need some basic education, what I call the “new hygiene,” in order to prevent common chronic illness and promote health in the 21st century.

Common chronic symptoms associated with 21st century industrialized, first world civilizations are responsible for the development of chronic disease, the majority of the money we are spending on healthcare, and the confusion western medical doctors are experiencing, resulting in over-prescribing expensive drugs that merely suppress symptoms and do not solve the problem or address the cause. Understanding the “new hygiene” has become a critical component to living a healthy productive, energized life.

Methylation has received a lot of attention since we discovered the gene responsible to produce the enzyme for methylation is the most common defective gene in the human body, impacting up to 40 percent of some populations. We have also discovered that methylation defects can contribute to an inability to metabolize medications and alcohol, challenges with fertility, a major role in depression, anxiety, attention deficit, thyroid dysfunction, and autoimmune conditions. We are also excited about the recent discoveries of many ways we can naturally deal with methylation challenges so we do not have to suffer or take medications for the symptoms mentioned above.

Let me pause here to say that there are few things we all need to be aware of that can affect every cell in the body. They are:

Dysglycemia: The abnormal regulation of blood sugar.
Anemia: The inefficient delivery of oxygen by our red blood cells. There are several types of anemia, not just iron deficiency.
Thyroid hormone dysfunction: Every cell in the body is dependent on healthy thyroid hormone production and metabolism.
Methylation: A biotransformation process that is involved in detoxification, muscle growth, and antioxidant activity, among many more critical processes.

The bad news is that each of these alone, or in any combination, can be devastating to your health and cannot be reversed with conventional medicine. The good news is that, in most cases, these conditions are fully reversible or managed, easily and naturally, with some guidance, education, and specific instructions in a relatively short period of time.

The above 4 conditions can exist alone or in any combination. They are common; they are caused by everyday activities, not one-off events or bad luck. They can be responsible for symptoms involving so many systems in the body that overlap with so many common chronic conditions. Symptoms and conditions include (but are not limited to):

Chronic pain
Hypothyroid
Autoimmunity
GI symptoms (IBS, reflux)
Fatigue
Brain fog
Sleeplessness
Inflammation
Asthma
Spinal defects
Weight gain
Depression
Anxiety
Attention deficit
Difficulty metabolising alcohol (hangovers)
Fertility
Hair loss
Autism and spectrum disorders
Parkinsonian syndromes
Multiple chemical sensitivities
Heart disease and stroke
Degenerative brain changes (dementia)

I could probably go on and on because, as I stated above, these processes impact every cell in the body. These are chronic, long-lasting symptoms that are usually part of a long-term decline in health. Symptoms eventually lead to a diagnosed disease (see separate posts on thyroid, dysglycemia, and anemia). This post will concentrate on methylation and, specifically, challenges many people have with methylation.

One of my favorite quotes from colleague, friend, professor, and genius, Dr. Christopher Turnpaugh:

“Our job as functional medicine (FM) practitioners is to get to IT, before IT gets to you. Because if IT gets to you we lose. I don’t like to lose. What is IT, you may ask; IT is any chronic disease process that will likely reduce your quality of life, be poorly managed by conventional medicine, result in early disability and death. IT is responsible for 80+ percent of the money we spend every year on healthcare in the U.S.”

The No. 1 cause of methylation challenges is a genetic defect or S.N.P. (single nucleotide polymorphism) in the gene responsible to make the MTHFR enzyme. This can result in a backlog of methylation in the body, resulting in the above-mentioned symptoms and conditions.

The modern industrialized (polluted), highly processed world we live in is likely to contribute to making things worse for those with methylation challenges than those without because methylation is one of the 6 ways the liver detoxifies us from our environment. Imagine your liver is a bridge from the inside of your body to the outside of your body, and that bridge has 6 lanes for the cars (in this analogy, the cars represent toxins leaving the body) to travel. If we shut down one of those lanes, then we create a backlog, or traffic jam, and toxins will increase in our body, resulting in inflammation and a stressful environment.

There are 2 common genes that can be tested that have been determined to be responsible for making the MTHFR enzyme. You can have one or both genes affected, and you can have a copy from one or both parents. There are several combinations that can determine if you are anywhere from 20 percent to 70 percent deficit. This tells us how slowly the traffic is moving on the bridge.

The MTHFR enzyme is responsible for us to be able to properly utilize certain nutrients, such as B12, B9 (folate), SAM-e, and others. The MTHFR enzyme transfers portions of these nutrients called methyl groups and allows us to increase certain beneficial chemicals like glutathione and decrease certain harmful chemicals like homocysteine. Homocysteine is an inflammatory marker easily checked in a routine blood test that contributes greatly to cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Elevated homocysteine is one clue that someone might be having methylation challenges (if other causes are addressed or investigated).

Sometimes we can have an MTHFR gene defect and never suffer the consequences because we have a healthy diet and lifestyle. Sometimes people with an MTHFR gene defect can have no symptoms until they add something that further blocks the enzyme, such as birth control pills, stomach acid blocking medications, or if they consume processed foods that have folic acid as an ingredient. This can result in a dramatic change in health, and the cause will likely elude your doctors.

Perhaps the defects we see with methylation were not as relevant or consequential to generations past as they are to today’s generation because of the chemical loads and exposure to abundant empty calories provided by processed, nutrient-deficient foods.

Folic acid must be converted to activated folate, and this conversion requires the intact MTHFR enzyme. If you have reduced enzyme capabilities, and you consume a lot of folic acid from processed foods, you will create a traffic jam of conversion and block the activated folate from the healthy, green, leafy veggies you might be eating.

Folic acid is a man-made cheap way to get folate, a byproduct of food processing. Folic acid is responsible for saving lots of babies from being born with birth defects when we lived in a different (differently unhealthy) world. Folic acid (requires MTHFR enzyme activity) will block activated folate (which does not require MTHFR enzyme activity) from being utilized; thus, there is an unintended consequence for those who have the MTHFR gene defects. They cannot properly process the cheap man-made folic acid into activated folate.

If you are one of those people who feels “toxic” — perhaps you feel hungover after having just a couple of drinks; maybe you have a host of symptoms, but your doctor can’t find anything wrong with you; or maybe you are that person who gets all of the side effects from medication — it would be a good idea to find out if you have an MTHFR genetic S.N.P. A simple blood test or cheek swab is all you need. It’s very inexpensive if you are uninsured and is most likely covered by health insurance if you are insured. The faster you know, the faster you can take the simple steps to resolve the problem.

If you’ve experienced positive changes to your health by discovering you have an MTHFR defect and taking appropriate action, please share your story with our readers in the comments below.

Steps you can take:

What to do if you have MTHFR genetic defect.

Have your children and other family members checked and then educated.
If you experience acid reflux or GERD, you must solve that problem without taking antacid drugs such as prilosec, zantac, prevacid, omeprazole, tums, etc.
Avoid taking birth control pills (BCPs). BCPs are also a problem for people suffering from hypothyroid symptoms (especially when your doctor says your thyroid numbers are fine).
Have your doctor include a homocysteine marker on your next blood test.
Avoid the ingredient folic acid. Instead, get your folate in the already activated form by eating whole foods — specifically, green leafy vegetables. Prenatal vitamins must have 5MTHF or activated (methylated) folate, not folic acid.
You can also take methylated folate as a supplement (also known as activated folate and 5MTHF) along with vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin as opposed to cyanocobalamin).
Supplement with glutathione increasing supplements, such as cordyceps, N-Acetyl Cysteine.
Avoid alcohol.
Avoid heavy metal exposure in cookware, dental amalgams, deodorants, and antiperspirants.
Pay attention to gut and liver health. Look into properly administered gut repair and detox programs that are designed to “move traffic” across the liver and repair gut permeability to avoid immune challenges that can make your food work against you.
Seek out hormone- and antibiotic-free grass-fed beef, hormone- and antibiotic-free poultry (organic when possible), and wild-caught seafood with low bioaccumulation of toxins such as mercury.

Stress (physical, mental, and chemical) of all types will inhibit methylation. This includes systemic inflammation from autoimmunity, leaky gut, dysglycemia, medications, etc. Stress management techniques are very helpful.

Thanks for reading!