MTHFR… What’s That?
Many of you may have followed along my thyroid journey over the last few months but if not, this summer I was diagnosed with Grave’s Disease. It is an autoimmune overactive thyroid disorder that, while not common (aprox 1% of Americans), is not well managed or discussed in the US. I was finally able to get the diagnosis, I had needed for over 10 years, and when I asked the “plan” on how to fix it…. I was given very little information that consisted of, “let it get worse and we will kill your thyroid…” NO THANK YOU… And that’s how Functional Future came to be.
Deep in my research on how to naturally heal the thyroid, and all autoimmune disease really, I found more about a gene I was already used to dealing with in pregnancy that causes a lot of problems, the MTHFR gene. Here’s the catch…. it is made to seem as if it is a not “issue” in American medicine…. Stay with me… because you’re about to learn about a couple concerning issues about the American diet.
MTHFR, or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, is a gene in our bodies responsible for methylation or metabolism of nutrients into their active form, basically all food we bring in needs this to happen. Over 30-50% of the population carries variants in this gene which results in altered nutrient absorption and deficiency. I have done a lot of research on this and here is my favorite “one stop shop” resource for you to learn more https://mthfrgenehealth.com/ , but I will give you a lot of info here!
When you have a gene mutation or variation in the MTHFR gene here is what happens; we bring food in to be broken down in the stomach and small intestines and all nutrients must go through this process of breakdown or methylation. When we carry this gene variation, nutrients can’t be broken down into their active form. As this occurs our body becomes deficient in vital nutrients that, down the line, are responsible for the formation of a wide variety of things like hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrolytes/vitamins that are key in cell function throughout the body. The best way to get nutrients is from whole foods, fruits, veggies, and meat, but in the American diet many of the foods we eat contain artificial ingredients, are heavily processed, and full of additives. The biggest contender to this gene is Folic acid, which is fortified (sprayed) on all grains, pastas, and processed foods. Folic acid is not only completely synthetic, just like Red Dye #40, but when you have an MTHFR gene variant your body now can’t break it down into the active from- methyl-folate, which is responsible for over 200 jobs in the body. This will cause chronic inflammation in the gut resulting in leaky gut (remember this- check out “The Gut Reset”). When that happens all the little villi in the intestines swell making gaps in the intestinal lining and bam… now you have all the undigested, synthetic toxins flowing into the blood stream and then the body attacks it. We then get overreaction resulting in systemic inflammation and autoimmune disease. So, the biggest worry with this gene variation is that almost all food in the US is fortified or enriched with folic acid…. and most of us can’t break it down. The US started fortifying foods in the early 90’s and autoimmune disease has dramatically increased since then…. (https://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=15845 )
But how do you know if you have an MTHFR variant? There are 2 ways to find out, first you could find a provider to test you, this may not be easy unless you find a integrated provider. The other way is to look at your symptoms, history, and diet. Signs you might have a “dirty” MTHFR; menstrual irregulates, endometriosis, PCOS, Thyroid disease, anxiety, depression, recurrent miscarriage, migraines, PMS, vitamin deficiency, PPD, ADD, ADHD, Fibromyalgia, bloating, gas, or abdominal pain with eating pasta/bread/grains, certain cancers and many others. If this sounds like you then here's how we start to make it better.
No one can fix or repair your gene mutation, but our life is 50% our genes and 50% what we do with them, so we can learn to bypass or shut off that mutation (this is called epigenetics) with lifestyle. Start by cutting out ALL Folic acid from food, supplements, everything, this does not include FOLATE containing foods like leafy greens because it is naturally occuring and easier to digest. Look at all of your labels and watch it closely! If you see folic acid, enriched, or fortified steer clear! The easiest way to do this when starting out is to go “gluten free”, no gluten is not bad but American gluten containing products are full of garbage like folic acid and other stabilizers that make them hard or impossible to digest. **Fun fact, Italy has the highest rate of MTHFR mutation…. And they eat bread, pasta, and grains all day and have the lowest health issues around it…. But they do not fortify!** The US makes these foods in bulk batches to last on the shelf and we add tons of extra “stabilizers” because of this. Going gluten free will cut about 90% of the folic acid out of your diet because the vast majority are not fortified, this Is where I say read your label… because I have even been bitten by this, cereal, grits, and oatmeal are all gluten free but certain brands are fortified. Over time you will be able to add these food groups back in as long as they don’t contain fortification but, we need to learn how to protect our bodies first. Personally, and professionally, I have seen tremendous change in health status in as little as 2 weeks doing this. Remember this though, thriving is not about being perfect, it is about constantly making improvements for where you are at the time, so don’t go burn everything in your cabinet, make small changes that will add up over time. This can be a daunting task and honestly if you let it overwhelm you it can be A LOT…. But you can also use this to empower modification that sticks, this is not a fad, crash, or American “diet” scheme… this is down to the root health. Finding/ healing your body on the genetic level is the ultimate level of thriving.
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Until next time remember, thriving in life is about finding the optimal functioning in each moment with progression to the best outcome, and is not about perfection.
