- Supplementing with glutathione is a direct and gentle way to overcome MTHFR -a gentler first step approach.
- Methylated B12 and methylated folate can be added if and when the body is strong and stable
Methyl-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), is an enzyme that is responsible for methylation in every single cell in your body. If you have a history of multiple miscarriages, chronic migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, or a family history of heart attack or stroke, this little enzyme might be the cause of your illness.
Methylation 101
MTHFR's function in your body is to methylate your cells, but what is this exactly and how does it work? Methylation is the process of adding a methyl group, one carbon and three hydrogens, to a compound. By doing so, MTHFR can help create, convert, and alter compounds within your cells. Methylation has its hands in many processes. It is involved in cellular repair, where it plays a major role in the synthesis of nucleic acids and the production of DNA and mRNA. It helps with neurotransmitter production and detoxification by converting amino acids from one form to another. It is vital in the formation and development of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and the maintenance of a healthy immune system.
MTHFR has more than fifty variants; the most common are 677T, 1298C, or a combination of both.
Some of these variants cause a decrease in methylation, and as a result, can lead to disease. For example, the variant 677T is most commonly associated with cerebral vascular accident (stroke), elevated homocysteine, cardiovascular disease risk, peripheral neuropathy, deep vein thrombosis, early onset heart disease, stillbirth, neuro-tube defect, cleft lip, and preeclampsia. Conditions associated with variant 1298C include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, schizophrenia, chronic migraines, and irritable bowel syndrome.
MTHFR can be either heterozygous or homozygous. People with a heterozygous MTHFR have one normal gene and one altered gene. This will cause your enzyme activity to decrease by forty percent.
If you are homozygous, meaning both your MTHFR genes are anomalies, your enzyme activity can drop by as much as ninety percent and your system will only be methylating at a rate of ten percent to twenty percent of normal.
Aggravating factors for MTHFR include heavy metals exposure from amalgam, vaccines, mercury laced fish, aluminum cookware and occupational hazards as well as a diet high in processed and hydrogenated foods. Anesthesia, diabetes, lymphoma can also be factors that aggravate MTHFR.
MTHFR sufferers also in general have problems clearing metals, including lead, mercury and aluminum. This is due to the body's inability to clear toxins on a timely basis. Symptoms seem to progress with time.
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MTHFR and AFS
AFS represents the neuroendocrine deregulation of the body under excessive physical and emotional stress. Common symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, and lethargy. Symptoms in advanced stages can include hypoglycemia, heart palpitation, depression, anxiety and loss of libido. Sufferers usually have a wide variety of non-specific complaints that seem to defy conventional medical wisdom because laboratory tests are usually totally normal.
It is unknown whether MTHFR is associated with AFS or not. If it is indeed associated the degree of correlation is also unknown. Much more research is necessary.
Due to the concurrent hypersensitivity of AFS sufferers to nutritional supplementation, paradoxical reactions can occur frequently. The use of methylated folate and B12 for MTHFR should proceed with care. Those that have mild AFS with moderate symptoms can have a trial of this supplementation under proper supervision. If MTHFR variant is indeed the culprit, relatively quick resolution and improvement of symptoms is expected. The failure of significant improvement is an alert that MTHFR may not be the dominant cause of fatigue even if MTHFR testing is positive. Over aggressive use of methylated folate and methylated B12 is a common recovery mistake in those with AFS as they can mask the underlying problem and worsen AFS. Energy output may be up, but the underlying adrenal weakness is overlooked.
Those with advanced stages of AFS need to be very cautious because they usually fare quite differently. Because of their already highly sensitized bodies and low threshold of stimulatory excitation response, any product including methylated folate or methylated B12 can further increase an excitation response and trigger an adrenal crash. The more advanced the AFS the higher the risk. Using such compounds should only proceed under the guidance of a health care professional.
Alternatively, a much gentler way to approach MTHFR deregulation if suspected in both mild and severe AFS cases is to use liposomal glutathione to start. Glutathione is part of the pathway of many methylation enzymatic responses. As mentioned earlier, most MTHFR sufferers are found to have low glutathione. Supplementing with glutathione therefore is a direct and gentle way to overcome MTHFR without causing excitation and unintended negative consequences.
Glutathione through its direct supply into the body, have the additional benefit of helping the liver to detoxify. It therefore has direct and indirect benefits. To put it simply, glutathione helps the body methylation process without being overly aggressive. We believe that this is a much gentler first step approach. Methylated B12 and methylated folate can be added if and when the body is strong and stable.
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