The Integral Guide to MTHFR Gene mutations
An Integral Study Guide
Greetings, dear reader, and welcome to the Integral Fitness guide to MTHFR gene mutations! This article, like my others, is written as a “Cliff Notes” or “SparkNotes” style study guide. It is a distillation of those elements which current research has determined to be most integral to optimizing your body’s methylation processes. Enjoy!
MTHFR gene mutations are very common affecting perhaps as many 40-60% of the US population.
The healthy expression of the MTHFR gene instructs your body to create an enzyme involved in breaking down homocysteine.
The mutations of the MTHFR may lead to high blood levels of homocysteine and low levels of folate and other vitamins (choline, riboflavin, or vitamins B-12 or B6).
People with a MTHFR gene mutation may not properly metabolize folic acid.
Folic acid is synthetic folate (aka Vitamin B9) which is added to many fortified, processed, packaged foods and low quality nutritional supplements.
Folate is naturally found in foods like leafy greens, liver, and eggs.
When the metabolism of folic acid to its active form, methylfolate, is impaired this may have a negative impact on many biochemical reactions in the body that regulate the activity of the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems.
Conditions reported to be linked to MTHFR include:
Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Colon cancer
Chronic fatigue and pain
Nerve pain
Acute leukemia
Migraines
Thromboembolic and cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, heart attacks, and blood clots
Spina bifida (birth defect)
Recurrent miscarriages
MTHFR gene mutations can be detected through genetic testing.
Treatment for MTHFR consists of supplementing your diet with the bioavailable form of the natural folate (methylated folate called Methylfolate) As well as the following recommendations:
Get natural sources of folate from:
(Note: folates tend to be unstable so look for the freshest, least processed sources. Also note, bioavailability of folates ranges from 40-70%)
Asparagus
Avocado
Beef liver
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Green, leafy vegetables
Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
Rice
In addition
Engage in regular physical exercise
Optimize gut health (the microbiota of the colon can produce folates; see my article Optimize Your Gut Health)
Practice stress management
Supplement with these seven nutrients to optimize methylation:
5-MTHF (aka L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate , methylfolate or active folate aka active Vitamin B9)
Methylcobalamin (active Vitamin B12)
Pyridoxal 5’ Phosphate (active Vitamin B6)
Riboflavin 5’ Phosphate (active Vitamin B2)
Magnesium
Betaine (aka trimethylglycine)
Vitamin D
(All can be purchased through my Thorne affiliate account. Discount available for my Substack readers upon request. Simply contact me through my coaching site linked at bottom.)
Avoid:
Supplements and processed foods containing folic acid
Smoking
Excessive alcohol consumption
Excessive coffee consumption (not more than two cups daily
Some medications impair folate (sulfasalazine, NSAIDs, some anticonvulsants)
I hope you find this “cheat sheet” useful and, with further exploration, are able to integrate these ideas into your personal, integrated wellness routine.
Thank you for reading and I welcome your comments below!
This information is not meant to be comprehensive but rather to be used as a foundation and study guide to support your own further research and experimentation. See link below if you’d like to consider personalized fitness & nutrition guidance.
Finally, always consult with a qualified medical and/or nutritional professional well versed in this subject. Maintain regular checkups. Never attempt to self-diagnose.
INTEGRAL FITNESS – UPLIFT YOURSELF AND UPLIFT OTHERS
TO BE HEALTHY, HAPPY AND HELPFUL!
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