Methylation

Today, the word "methylation" is one of the most popular and buzzwords used in integrative medicine. And it's no wonder - after all, this process is a crucial part of metabolism and is extremely important for our health and well-being.

You've probably come across this term before, or maybe you've even searched for its meaning on the internet in an effort to figure out what it means, but have been frustrated by the multitude of obscure words and extremely complicated explanations.

Today we propose to talk about methylation in simple and clear language so that you can understand its role in the body and, most importantly, be able to apply this knowledge in your daily life.

Methylation is an essential biochemical process that occurs billions of times in every cell of the body.

It can be seen as a kind of biological traffic light regulating the chaotic street traffic. Thanks to methyl groups, gene expression occurs in a strictly defined order: the green light turns on - command to go! - protein synthesis starts, red light comes on - stop command - stop, wait for the next command.

In addition to DNA expression (the process by which the genetic information of a gene is converted into a functional product - RNA or protein), methylation is responsible for a wide range of biological functions, such as:

• production of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline, etc.);
• detoxification - the process of removing toxins from the body;
• hormonal regulation.

From a chemical point of view, the process of methylation is a reaction in which a methyl group consisting of four atoms (one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms) is attached to DNA, proteins or other molecules. The donor of methyl groups to the body is methionine, an essential amino acid provided by food.

HOW DOES DNA METHYLATION OCCUR?

DNA contains a combination of four nucleotides which include cytosine, guanine, thymine and adenine. During methylation, a methyl group is added to the DNA chain.

The addition of methyl groups affects how molecules act in the body. For example, methylating the DNA sequence of a gene can turn off the gene so that it does not produce a protein. Therefore, DNA methylation is vital to many cellular processes such as embryonic development, X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting, carcinogenesis, and chromosome stability.

Gene hypermethylation is associated with an increased risk of developing pathologic conditions including allergies, autoimmune diseases, Down syndrome, and cancer.

Every cell in our body has the same set of genes received from our parents. Even so, they all function differently. For example, a liver cell (hepatocyte) is very different in structure and function from a brain cell (neuron). In order for liver cells to function as hepatocytes and brain cells to function as neurons, nature has provided a mechanism to turn on or off the genes responsible for a particular part of the work.

THE EFFECT OF METHYLATION ON MENTAL HEALTH

Methylation helps to produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline and melatonin. This occurs in several ways:

• methylation converts tryptophan into 5-hydroxytryptophan. This amino acid goes entirely to synthesize the "happy hormone" serotonin;
• methylation provides transportation of dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline;
• methylation converts noradrenaline into adrenaline;
• and finally, methylation is responsible for converting serotonin to melatonin (the sleep neurohormone).

Thus, our mood, emotional balance, and overall brain health depend on how efficiently these processes work.

Unfortunately, there are many factors that negatively affect methylation. These include: exposure to environmental toxins, genetic factors, gastrointestinal diseases that make the body unable to absorb important nutrients for methylation, and lifestyle in general.

Anything that causes oxidative stress can be said to have a negative effect on methylation.

Oxidative stress is a natural biological process that is usually compensated for by our body's own endogenous production of antioxidants. But when there is an imbalance between the two, and the environmental factors that cause oxidative stress tip the scales in their favor, that's when we see long-term inflammation and methylation problems.

WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECT METHYLATION?

Our modern environment is teeming with reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause oxidative stress in the body. These include heavy metals, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), herbicides, pesticides and plasticizers, and a host of other substances.

DIET AND METHYLATION

Everything you eat affects how efficiently you methylate. Studies show that consuming processed foods and sugar negatively affects methylation.

Whereas eating whole-foods, which include cereals made from wholemeal flour, fish, legumes, fruits and vegetables, has a positive effect on methylation.

In addition to the diet factor, there are several nutrients that play a crucial role in methylation.

FOLIC ACID

The most important nutrient for methylation is folic acid or vitamin B9. Indeed, methylation depends almost entirely on the presence of folic acid in the diet. The body uses this nutrient to create a methyl donor, methionine, which is necessary to trigger enzymatic reactions to produce and transport neurotransmitters.

Folic acid deficiency is a very common phenomenon: often seen in people suffering from depression, because methylation, as we have already said, plays an important role in the production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters.

Folic acid deficiency is corrected by supplementation of this nutrient in the diet, but be careful. Folate, a very common supplement as a source of folic acid, is a synthetic version of this nutrient. However, few people know that this version of folic acid must be converted in the body to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in order to be absorbed properly, but in many people this process is not possible due to existing genetics. This means that the body is unable to properly absorb folic acid.

Green leafy vegetables and legumes are probably the richest sources of folic acid, so be sure to include them in your diet often.

VITAMIN B12.

While folic acid is important for triggering the methylation cycle, vitamin B12 is needed to activate the conversion of folic acid to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate so that it can further form methionine as a source of methyl groups.

If the diet is deficient in vitamin B12, the folate cycle is disrupted and the methylation process is halted.

B12 is a nutrient found in animal products such as meat, fish, eggs, poultry and dairy products. In some pathological conditions, the body is unable to absorb vitamin B12 from food. In this case, an intravenous drip containing vitamin B12 is the best way out of this situation.

In our laboratory you can take the necessary tests to determine the content of vitamin B12 and folic acid in the blood serum. Based on the results of the tests, as well as your symptoms and complaints, our doctors will choose the drip for you to quickly and effectively compensate for deficiencies of these nutrients.

CHOLINE

Choline plays an important role in various parts of the methylation cycle. When folic acid levels are low, the body uses choline as a reserve donor of methyl groups to maintain optimal methylation.

Choline promotes folic acid activation as well as the conversion of homocysteine to methionine, a crucial step in methylation.

HOW IS HOMOCYSTEINE FORMED?

After parting with its methyl group, methionine is converted into homocysteine.

Homocysteine is a neurotoxin, and the accumulation of its levels in the blood is associated with mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, this amino acid is well known to cardiologists: high levels of homocysteine in the blood are a serious risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obstetricians also pay close attention to homocysteine levels: elevated levels lead to complications during pregnancy, such as impaired blood flow in the "mother-placenta-fetus" system and high risks of miscarriage and pre-eclampsia.

The good news is that nature has created a defense mechanism: homocysteine can be converted back into methionine. To do this, it needs a methyl group. Choline is such a donor, ensuring the stability of the whole system.

Laboratory testing of serum homocysteine is an excellent way to find out if methylation is in order.

In addition to checking your homocysteine levels, you can also undergo DNA testing with a simple saliva test to determine if you have any mutations in the MTHFR gene, the gene that is responsible for folic acid activation and homocysteine recycling.

As we said, both of these processes are necessary for optimal methylation and therefore neurotransmitter production. Carrying polymorphisms unfortunately reduces the body's ability to convert folate (both natural and synthetic folic acid) into active 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, setting the stage for dangerously elevated homocysteine levels. Such genetic polymorphisms are found in 62% of women of reproductive age in the European population.

Mutations in the MTHFR gene are inherited from parents and can be either heterozygous (meaning you have one mutation) or homozygous (two mutations). Having a homozygous mutation is more likely to cause health problems than having a heterozygous mutation.

It is important to keep in mind that blood homocysteine levels are not a static value and can vary with diet, for example, caffeine and alcohol consumption reduces methylation levels.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO OPTIMIZE METHYLATION?

First, follow a diet devoid of sugar and processed foods.

Second, try to avoid

toxins and pollutants: try to eat foods grown without chemicals and fertilizers, drink filtered water, buy cosmetics free of toxins such as parabens, benzophenones, bisphenols and phthalates, avoid plastics (bottled water, food film, plastic utensils, etc.), quit smoking (if you smoke).

Third, identify deficiencies in essential nutrients by taking tests and consulting with your doctor. This is critical to support a proper supplementation program to meet individual needs.

Finally, I would like to point out that genes load the gun, but it is the environment that pulls the trigger. In this case, the term "environment" includes nutrition, lifestyle, sleep, exposure to toxins, relationships with others, where you live, and so on. All of these play a significant role in how genes like MTHFR are expressed.

And this is certainly good news, as it means you can take control of your health and start taking the right steps to help your body maintain optimal methylation levels today.

With us, you can take all kinds of necessary tests to assess your methylation, including homocysteine levels, and get a consultation with your doctor with recommendations on how to optimize it.