What is Methylation and Why Is It Important?
November 26, 2024
What is methylation?
Methylation is a simple biochemical process. It is the transfer of four atoms – one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms (CH3) – from one substance to another. The addition of methyl groups can affect how some molecules act in the body.
What is methylation in the body? When optimal methylation occurs, it has a significant positive impact on many biochemical reactions in the body that regulate the activity of the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems, including those relating to:
DNA production
Neurotransmitter production
Detoxification
Histamine metabolism
Estrogen metabolism
Eye health
Fat metabolism
Cellular energy
Liver health
Why is methylation important?
The body is a very complex machine, with various gears and switches that need to be all functioning properly to operate optimally. Think of "what is methylation in the body" – and the opposite action, demethylation – as the mechanism that allows the gears to turn and turns biological switches on and off for a host of systems in the body.
How does methylation happen?
CH3 is provided to the body through a universal methyl donor known as SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). SAMe readily gives away its methyl group to other substances in the body, which enables the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems to perform their functions.
Unfortunately, the system that produces SAMe is reliant on one switch being turned on by a critical B vitamin, 5-MTHF (also known as active folate or methylfolate – one of the “methylation vitamins”).
Simply put, if enough 5-MTHF is present, the methylation cycle will work efficiently.
Folic acid from the diet or supplements must be converted to this active form, 5-MTHF, before it can be used in the body in the methylation cycle. Unfortunately, approximately 60% of people in the United States have a genetic mutation that makes it challenging for their bodies to create enough of the methylation vitamin 5-MTHF.
When the methylation switch is turned off and isn’t creating enough SAMe, then a number of important molecules cannot be efficiently produced, including:
Glutathione
Coenzyme Q10
Melatonin
Serotonin
Nitric Oxide
Norepinephrine
Epinephrine
L-Carnitine
Cysteine
Taurine
How to improve methylation
Want to know how to improve methylation? First, you can have a simple and easy genetic test to find out if you have a problem with your methylation cycle. This test looks at specific enzymes that are affected by your genetic makeup, including the enzyme MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), which is the most important enzyme involved in creating 5-MTHF.
In addition to a healthy, whole-food, non-processed food diet, make sure you are eating a lot of these foods:
Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Green, leafy vegetables
Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
Rice
Lifestyle changes include:
Engaging in regular physical exercise
Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption
Quitting smoking
Avoiding excessive coffee consumption (not more than 5 cups daily)
What are the vitamins needed for healthy methylation?
Once your 5-MTHF status is addressed, the body also needs several other nutrients for methylation to function optimally.
Several nutrients support methylation by directly donating a methyl group. For the most part, the answer to which are the methylated vitamins and other nutrients is obvious because the word “methyl” is in the nutrient’s name, such as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate(5MTHF; active folate), methylcobalamin(active B12), dimethylglycine (DMG; derivative of the amino acid glycine), and trimethylglycine (TMG; betaine).
Trimethylglycine is one of the most important methyl donors because, as its name implies, it has three methyl groups to donate. Other, although less obvious, methyl donors include choline and methionine. Other methylation support nutrients that are necessary cofactors in methylation include vitamins B2 and B6, vitamin D, and magnesium.
To summarize: the 7 essential nutrients for methylation support
In summary, there are seven specific nutrients that can help the methylation cycle achieve optimal performance, even if an individual has the genetic mutation that slows down the methylation cycle. All of these nutrients are available in Thorne's Methylation Bundle.
Proper methylation influences so many systems in our bodies that it often gets overlooked, which can severely impact how well our bodies functions. Ask your health-care provider for advice if you have any concerns about what methylation is and what you can do about it
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