Methylation And How It Impacts Your Health
“Methylation is a process in the body that affects neurotransmitters, affects how you think, how you wake up in the morning, how your mood is, works on your nerves and plays a role in getting chemicals out of your body as well as how your cells turn on and turn off,” says Ben Lynch, ND a specialist in cell and molecular biology specifically MTHFR and methylation defects.
This process occurs all the time in every cell of your body countless times every second. If there is a problem with methylation it could affect every aspect of your body.
Dr. Lynch says, “Folate is an umbrella term for the folates in the body. Folic acid is a man made form of folate. Folic acid is most everything we eat. Folic acid is really bad.”
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Folic acid is found in most vitamin supplements and processed foods and it’s not natural to the processes of the body.
“Folic acid indirectly inhibits methylation of the body,” says Dr. Lynch. For women who are recommended to take folic acid during pregnancy he says, “It is scary. I don’t think anybody should be on folic acid, nobody!” He goes on to say, “Pregnant women do need folate, they just don’t need folic acid.”
He recommends folate should come from uncooked leafy greens. If for some reason this is unacceptable, such as a pregnant woman with a sensitive stomach, he recommends methylfolate and folinic acid.
“Folic acid is contraindicated because your body has to carry that nutrient around, your body needs to bind it and then get it into the cell. Focic acid in any form will take the folate binding proteins and block the good forms of folate from getting on them and they will become fewer in number,” Dr. Lynch says.
This is commonly referred to as a competitive inhibitor. It’s starving the body of the genuine product.
“Folate is the gateway to methylation,” Dr. Lynch says. “Methyfolate works with methylcobalamin and magnesium to produce SAMe. SAMe is known everywhere for helping certain neurological disorders, liver cancers, depression, arthritis pain. It’s one of the main methyl donors in the body.”
The problem is SAMe is a very sensitive product. “It is shelf stable when it’s done properly. It’s very touchy. It requires a lot of care when it’s being made. It needs to be in a acid resistant capsule, it can’t be heat treated, it needs to be vacuum packed in a blister pack. If you get SAMe in a bottle you may not be getting your moneys worth,” Dr. Lynch says. He adds, “They may not be getting any benefit from it, it may be completely garbage.”
When the body creates SAMe it’s more usable in the body than any purchased supplement, even if it’s packaged and prepared properly. Getting the body working properly takes priority.
He sates if you have a thyroid problem you are riboflavin deficient.
“If you can’t find riboflavin 5 phosphate (affiliate link). Sometimes you can just push the reaction forward by taking more of the riboflavin usp, the standard riboflavin,” he adds.
It’s important to know riboflavin is also beneficial to people with adrenal issues.
To learn more from Dr. Ben watch the video linked here: http://www.seekinghealth.com/
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Other sources:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seekinghealth.com%2Fmedia%2FImproving-Patient-Outcomes-short-ver.pdf&ei=jauQU6uRDsiwsQSZ5YHACQ&usg=AFQjCNGhIDscCEiUzLJQidC4ffIRg8-iQA&sig2=VOpdb_SvTZlTXWLYXg0zXg
http://www.seekinghealth.com/
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/mthfr/
http://thyroid.about.com/od/MTHFR-Gene-Mutations-and-Polymorphisms/fl/The-Link-Between-MTHFR-Gene-Mutations-and-Disease-Including-Thyroid-Health.htm
http://thethyroidsummit.com/ben-lynch-nd/