Methylation: What Is It?

Natural Biology uses only mythylated B Complex Vitamins.  

If you are taking a multivitamin, it is critical your B Vitamin Complex is methylated, or chances are you are not absorbing these critical micro-nutrients.   All of Natural Biology's B Vitamins are methylated for ultimate absorption and efficacy.  

Impaired methylation can lead to depression, anxiety, histamine intolerance, increased risk of cancer, hormone imbalance, poor detox capacity, infertility, birth defects, fatigue, and low energy. 

Methylation is a biochemical process involving the transfer of an active methyl group between molecules. Methylation is required for cell division, DNA and RNA synthesis, early CNS development, gene expression, immune cell differentiation, post-transcriptional modification, neurotransmitter synthesis and metabolism, histamine clearance, detoxification, hormone clearance, cellular energy metabolism, phospholipid synthesis, and myelination of peripheral nerves. Methylation of DNA also plays a crucial part in epigenetics, determining which genes are turned on or off. For most genes, less methylation = ON; more methylation = OFF.

These methylation patterns can be passed on and influence the gene expression of subsequent generations. Fortunately, they can also be influenced by diet and environmental factors. Given the many crucial functions of methylation, it’s not surprising that methylation deficits can lead to a wide range of conditions. Impaired methylation can lead to depression, anxiety, histamine intolerance, increased risk of cancer, hormone imbalance, poor detox capacity, infertility, birth defects, fatigue, and low energy. (For more background on methylation, check out this podcast.) Functional Methylation Testing: Beyond MTHFR

The identification of the MTHFR SNP is perhaps what first put methylation “on the map.” Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the methyl cycle; it is responsible for the activation of folate for the subsequent reduction of homocysteine to methionine

• Certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or variants of this gene, result in the reduced capacity of this enzyme
• Indeed, MTHFR variants are associated with increased risk for many diseases, including depression, fertility issues, insomnia, and thyroid conditions 
• Because of this, many individuals, whether on their own, or at the recommendation of their healthcare practitioner, have sought genetic testing for MTHFR and other genes related to methylation and begun supplements to correct their supposed “methylation deficiency” based solely on their genetic results. This is a fundamentally flawed approach, since genes do not tell you about functional methylation capacity. Just because a patient has an SNP that might predispose them to impaired methylation does not mean they actually have impaired methylation. In fact, they could have completely normal methylation! On the other hand, a person who has no SNPs in their methylation genes could have severe methylation imbalance and require treatment.