This blog is part of a series on methylation. If you have not already please have a read of the following blogs we’ve created.
Should I be Freaking Out About my Genes?
How Can I Improve Methylation?
Methylation processes are absolutely central to our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. It’s a biochemical process involved in almost all of your body’s functions, think of billions of little on/off switches inside your body that control everything from your stress response and how your body makes energy from food to your brain chemistry and detoxification.
Here are 7 signs that your methylation might need some support:
- Too much protein
Have you ever experienced brain fog or felt sluggish after a protein meal? The protein may have temporarily bumped up your homocysteine levels, leading to your methylation cycle needing more support. Meat is important for methylation – just not too much of it.
Other things that raise homocysteine levels or inflammation in the body are too much sugar, alcohol, gluten – anything that triggers inflammatory processes. How do you feel after you eat these foods? Is your gut trying to tell you that it’s out of sorts? As I’ve explained in other methylation blogs if our stomach and bowels are not working well, then it’s highly likely our methylation cycles will be out too.
- Red-faced after exercising
Excessive histamine is associated with a prolonged red face after exercising. Our body can’t breakdown histamine if our methylation cycles are inefficient.
- You need pick me ups
Let’s face it, B vitamins give us energy. If we aren’t methylating well then we will experience fatigue. Perhaps that means you rely on uppers like caffeine too heavily. It’s important to find a dose of methyl support that supports your body and gives you that needed edge without putting you over the edge.
- Got MTHFR? Elevated homocysteine?
Are you one of the estimated 60% of people that have the MTHFR gene mutation? Has your lab work shown an elevated level of homocysteine? It very well may be that you need methylation support! Have a read of our blogs to learn more.
- Stressed and on edge
Methylation helps us handle stress. These methylation reactions speed up during times of stress and we quickly burn through our nutrient stores. Poor methylation gives us an inability to wrangle stress often leaving us feeling wired and tired. It’s important to replenish your methylation support after you’ve been stressed.
- Elevated Oestrogen (Men and Women)
We live in a world where we are drowning in endocrine disrupting hormones. These chemicals mimic oestrogen in both men and women creating hormonal havoc. Men have incredibly low levels of testosterone and fertility as a result and women have all manner of hormonal issues. These endocrine disrupting toxins load our liver. By supporting methylation, we support liver function and our body’s detoxification processes which can help balance oestrogen and other hormone levels. Are your hormones all over the place?
- Trouble falling asleep
Falling asleep requires that calming neurotransmitters increase (such as GABA and melatonin) while excitatory ones decrease (such as histamine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). Methylation is needed to help clear histamine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.
It’s easy to see that ideally we should be doing everything we can to optimize our body’s ability to effectively methylate because it’s such a critical process that must be continually maintained throughout life. Unfortunately most of us – have never even heard about methylation!
Problems start arising when methylation is not optimized, meaning, it’s happening slower than it should be (or the opposite: it’s happening too fast!).
Here’s a list of things that bring stress to your methylation cycle include:
- Oxidative stress, (Read our blog here)
- Alcohol (yes, as in wine, beer, and liquor)
- Yeast die-off, from having and treating yeast (also known as candida or thrush) whether with herbs or medications
- Elevated nitric oxide, which is common with chronic fatigue, inflammation, autoimmunity, and Lyme disease; nitrous oxide gas treatment at the dentist will also increase nitric oxide
- Autoimmune antibodies
- Inflammation in general
- Food sensitivities and leaky gut
- Toxins in the environment and in our personal care products
- Heavy metals (like mercury, lead, and aluminum)
You need to find the right dose of methylation support for YOU. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks situation – you don’t want too much, and you also don’t want too little.
Dr. Ben Lynch created Optimal Methylate Chewable to address the need for an easy-to-take vitamin that supports methylation quickly, comprehensively, and gently. This lower dose of methylation support is perfect for those just starting out or who are sensitive to the higher doses found in most methyl support supplements. Dr. Lynch included active forms of folate, vitamin B12, and nine other targeted nutrients to help support and optimize healthy methylation processes throughout your body.
Here’s another great option if you prefer: Thorne-Research-B-Complex-12 60 Capsules
Ready to get your methylation firing on all cylinders?
To better understand what methylation is all about, have a read of the following blogs we’ve created.
How Can I Improve Methylation?
Should I be Freaking Out About my Genes?
Wondering Why So Many Kids and Adults Have Health Problems?
