Methyl Life
MTHFR and Methylation
via WordPress methyllifebl0g.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/mthfr-and-methyla...
At Methyl-Life, we don’t just provide high-quality supplements to help you manage your MTHFR symptoms…
We bring you useable information to help you understand your genetic mutation.
Today’s topic: METHYLATION
Let’s break it down…
What is Methylation?
Food is the body’s fuel. But our bodies go through a lot of work to make sure that they can actually use the food that we put in them. Once we’ve eaten, our food has to be converted into the enzymes that our cells need to function properly and go about their business. Methylation is this very important conversion process.
Methylation transforms food into enzymes that the body’s cells can immediately and directly use. Some people think of this process as “absorption.”
Occurring in the body’s metabolic pathways, this transformation process is less straight forward than it sounds: it may require many different stages before the conversion of food into “usable enzymes” is complete.
What does MTHFR have to do with methylation?
Imagine having a can of soup without a can opener. You have food, but you don’t have the tool you need to make it available. Or imagine having Mexican Pesos while you’re vacationing in Japan-. You have money; you just can’t use it until you convert it to Yen.
Basically, an MTHFR gene mutation(s) thwarts the methylation process in the folic acid metabolic pathway. The methylation of folic acid normally requires 4 different steps to convert it into the form in which it can be used by the body’s cells. This useable form of folic acid is called “active Methylfolate,” or L-5-MTHF for short.
The MTHFR gene defect is responsible for hindering folic acid’s conversion process between the third and fourth stages of methylation.
A person with an MTHFR gene defect has a mutated version of the MTHFR enzyme floating around in their body. This is a major health concern because it means that the body is probably not getting enough activated folate at the cellular level.
Read more about the Symptoms of MTHFR>
Are there other factors that can inhibit methylation?
A number of factors could be responsible for low methylation, or the body’s inability to get enough absorbable folate at the cellular level to be optimally healthy.
Medical conditions that can interfere with the methylation of folate:
Pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding)
Alcohol abuse
Malabsorption of food (Celiac Disease, leaky gut)
Diseases of the bowel (Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Crohn’s Disease)
Kidney dialysis
Liver disease
Certain anemias
Drugs that can interfere with the methylation of folate:
Dilantin, Phenytoin, and Primidone (anticonvulsant medications)
Glucofage or Metformin (to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes)
Sulfasalazine (to control Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
Triamterene (a diuretic)
Barbiturates (used as sedatives)
Methotrexate (used for cancer and other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis)
Talk to a doctor before taking Methylfolate if you take any of the above drugs.
What can I do to help my body’s methylation process?
The most important thing to know is that increasing folic acid is not going to solve the problem. It might even make the problem worse!
Increasing your folic acid intake doesn’t solve the problem because a person with a mutated MTHFR gene will not be able to properly convert the additional folic acid into active methylfolate (L-MTHF or 5-MTHF). Instead, a person with an MTHFR mutation might benefit from taking a daily dose of the L-MTHF (or 5-MTHF) form of folate through a vitamin supplement with this exact bioactive form.
An individual with any of the above medical conditions or who is taking any of the above medications would most likely benefit from a Methylfolate (L-MTHF or 5-MTHF) supplement.
Want great recommendations on how to support your body’s methylation process?
Check out our Methylation Protocol
You can also check out a supplement protocol that Dr. Neil Rawlins recommends to optimize methylation in people who have an MTHFR gene defect.
What happens if the cells don’t get enough active folate (L-5-MTHF) to keep the body healthy? Find out here
The post MTHFR and Methylation appeared first on Methyl-Life.
methyl-life.com/mthfr-and-methylation/
MTHFR and Methylation
via WordPress methyllifebl0g.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/mthfr-and-methyla...
At Methyl-Life, we don’t just provide high-quality supplements to help you manage your MTHFR symptoms…
We bring you useable information to help you understand your genetic mutation.
Today’s topic: METHYLATION
Let’s break it down…
What is Methylation?
Food is the body’s fuel. But our bodies go through a lot of work to make sure that they can actually use the food that we put in them. Once we’ve eaten, our food has to be converted into the enzymes that our cells need to function properly and go about their business. Methylation is this very important conversion process.
Methylation transforms food into enzymes that the body’s cells can immediately and directly use. Some people think of this process as “absorption.”
Occurring in the body’s metabolic pathways, this transformation process is less straight forward than it sounds: it may require many different stages before the conversion of food into “usable enzymes” is complete.
What does MTHFR have to do with methylation?
Imagine having a can of soup without a can opener. You have food, but you don’t have the tool you need to make it available. Or imagine having Mexican Pesos while you’re vacationing in Japan-. You have money; you just can’t use it until you convert it to Yen.
Basically, an MTHFR gene mutation(s) thwarts the methylation process in the folic acid metabolic pathway. The methylation of folic acid normally requires 4 different steps to convert it into the form in which it can be used by the body’s cells. This useable form of folic acid is called “active Methylfolate,” or L-5-MTHF for short.
The MTHFR gene defect is responsible for hindering folic acid’s conversion process between the third and fourth stages of methylation.
A person with an MTHFR gene defect has a mutated version of the MTHFR enzyme floating around in their body. This is a major health concern because it means that the body is probably not getting enough activated folate at the cellular level.
Read more about the Symptoms of MTHFR>
Are there other factors that can inhibit methylation?
A number of factors could be responsible for low methylation, or the body’s inability to get enough absorbable folate at the cellular level to be optimally healthy.
Medical conditions that can interfere with the methylation of folate:
Pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding)
Alcohol abuse
Malabsorption of food (Celiac Disease, leaky gut)
Diseases of the bowel (Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Crohn’s Disease)
Kidney dialysis
Liver disease
Certain anemias
Drugs that can interfere with the methylation of folate:
Dilantin, Phenytoin, and Primidone (anticonvulsant medications)
Glucofage or Metformin (to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes)
Sulfasalazine (to control Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
Triamterene (a diuretic)
Barbiturates (used as sedatives)
Methotrexate (used for cancer and other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis)
Talk to a doctor before taking Methylfolate if you take any of the above drugs.
What can I do to help my body’s methylation process?
The most important thing to know is that increasing folic acid is not going to solve the problem. It might even make the problem worse!
Increasing your folic acid intake doesn’t solve the problem because a person with a mutated MTHFR gene will not be able to properly convert the additional folic acid into active methylfolate (L-MTHF or 5-MTHF). Instead, a person with an MTHFR mutation might benefit from taking a daily dose of the L-MTHF (or 5-MTHF) form of folate through a vitamin supplement with this exact bioactive form.
An individual with any of the above medical conditions or who is taking any of the above medications would most likely benefit from a Methylfolate (L-MTHF or 5-MTHF) supplement.
Want great recommendations on how to support your body’s methylation process?
Check out our Methylation Protocol
You can also check out a supplement protocol that Dr. Neil Rawlins recommends to optimize methylation in people who have an MTHFR gene defect.
What happens if the cells don’t get enough active folate (L-5-MTHF) to keep the body healthy? Find out here
The post MTHFR and Methylation appeared first on Methyl-Life.
methyl-life.com/mthfr-and-methylation/