Methylation & Your Health: What It Is and Why It Matters

Methylation and Your Health: What You Need to Know

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Methylation is defined as a transfer of one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms (CH3) from one substance to another, which affects a wide variety of functions in the body.  Now, we won’t take you back to biochemistry but this transfer of methyl groups (CH3) is what silences (or turns off) a specific gene. DNA methylation is one example of epigenetics, which refers to expression of certain genes, without changing the DNA sequence (i.e. how our environment impacts us). This is also the “nurture” part of nature vs. nurture.

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I know, I know, enough of the scientific jargon. Simply put, we can support the process of methylation through healthy lifestyle behaviors so that genes that support our health can be expressed and genes that contribute to poor health and disease are turned “off”. We can think of this like a light switch!

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Methylation should be a household name with its impact on cardiovascular health, neurological functions, hormones and reproductive health as well as our body’s detoxification pathways.

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Here are just a few examples of how methylation plays a role in your health:

• Neurotransmitter production, such as dopamine, melatonin, serotonin, norepinephrine and epinephrine.
• Detoxification & liver health (through production of molecules such as glutathione and CoQ10)
• Histamine regulation (this can impact things like seasonal allergies, rashes, etc.)
• Estrogen metabolism
• Fat Metabolism
• Energy

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Okay, So We Know It's Important, But What Do We Do About It?

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Well, there are several different pathways that contribute to optimal methylation function. One is supported by B vitamins and the other is supported by choline. Without going into a lot of scientific detail, here are a few ways that you can help the process, most of which can be affected by nutrient status. Keep in mind that nutrients can be impacted, not only by a poor diet but also by impaired gut health and absorption.

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Support Methylation by:

• Consume adequate B vitamins, especially B9 and B12:
  • Vitamin B9 or active folate, also known as 5-MTHF (also known as methylfolate). Folate-rich foods include dark green leafy vegetables (turnip greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli), legumes and whole grains.
  • Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin) found in animal proteins, nutritional yeast
• Choline-rich foods, such as eggs, fish, organ meats and cruciferous vegetables. Supplementing with creatine, betaine or TMG can also help.
• Eat a healthy, mostly whole foods based diet and minimal processed foods.
• Avoid excessive alcohol or caffeine intake.
• Get regular physical activity.

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Can You Test Your Methylation Function?

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Yes! There are several ways you can test methylation function. One way is to take a genetic test that looks at specific enzymes that are affected by your genetics, including the enzyme MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), which is the most important enzyme involved in creating 5-MTHF (active folate). Testing homocysteine levels via a blood draw can also measure methylation.

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