It’s February again and that means a renewed focus on heart health. With Heart Health Month in full swing, and New Year’s resolution enthusiasm fading, many of us are looking for ways to improve our heart health that doesn’t take much commitment.
Many who have worked with me know that I love to test and talk about MTHFR. It is an acronym for Methyl Tetrahydrofolate Reductase, an enzyme whose job is to convert inactive folate into active folate. In the process of this conversion, methyl groups which are important for hundreds of essential processes in the body, get shuffled around. If the process is slow and the methyl groups don’t get donated appropriately, normal functions may be affected.
It has been established that as many as 40% of the population has a variation in the gene that encodes the MTHFR enzyme. There are 2 enzymes that are currently available for testing C677T and A1298C. One receives one gene from each parent and either parent can give a “normal” gene or a “variant” gene. If one receives 2 normal genes, MTHFR function is thought to be normal. If one receives one normal and one variant gene, the gene function decreases to 65% of normal. If both genes are variant, function drops to 30%.
Studies have shown that a deficiency in the MTHFR gene function can lead to many conditions including poor detoxification of toxins, poor neurotransmitter production (potentially leading to mental health disorders), increased risk for Alzheimer's Disease and pertinent to this month, increased risk for Cardiovascular Disease. The mechanism for this increased risk is most likely multifactorial and includes impaired function of the endothelium (the inside lining of the blood vessels), increased inflammation, decreased Nitric oxide production and increased risk for clotting.
Having had a heart attack due to endothelial dysfunction I was curious to see whether I had a genetic variation in my MTHFR gene. Turns out, I do, which increases my risk for clotting. Prior to my heart attack, I also had a viral illness, potentially Covid, which also increased my risk.
Having the MTHFR variation can also cause heart disease due to the slower conversion of homocysteine, an amino acid, to methionine. Elevated homocysteine has been shown to be an independent risk factor of heart disease as it is a marker of potentially decreased action of the MTHFR enzyme.
So you may be saying to yourself, “they told me I have this variation. Am I going to have a heart attack?” My first response to this is that our genes are not our destiny. Our genetic makeup may predispose us to certain things but we all have the ability to influence our genes for our benefit by the lifestyle choices we make. The same holds true for MTHFR variation. We overcome it by taking a Methylated B Vitamin Complex supplement. We recommend Liposomal Methyl B Complex by Quicksilver.
If you are curious to see if this variation may be contributing to your risk for heart disease, or other conditions, please contact the office and schedule a consultation.
-Dr. Litty
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