What is so important that it’s responsible for repairing our DNA, handling our response to stress, managing inflammation, how well we detoxify, and is an important component in a number of cellular process that include embryonic development, inactivating the x-chromosome, and genomic imprinting? Methylation. You may have been hearing the term for awhile, but perhaps don’t quite understand what it is. Or maybe you’ve heard of “MTHFR” and you know it’s important, but you’re not sure how it affects you and your health? Let’s break down what DNA methylation is, how it can affect you, and how to improve your body’s process of methylating.

Methylation is the biochemical process of making sure every cell is functioning the way it should be. It does this by a simple biochemical process in which it transfers one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms (CH3) from one substance to another. When this process is working optimally, the pathways mentioned earlier such as DNA production and repair, detoxification and inflammation, as well as others like histamine, fat, and estrogen metabolism, are significantly and positively impacted. You can think of methylation as the foundation to be able to turn certain biological switches on and off in the body, affecting a number of systems.

Going back to CH3, the methyl group made from one carbon and three hydrogen atoms, these methyl groups are ‘handed out’ to the body via what’s considered a universal methyl donor, SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). SAMe gives away the methyl groups readily to all of the substances necessary to make those previously mentioned systems (detox, DNA repair, etc…) work effectively. Many factors can affect the way this cycle works, but one of the factors is whether or not the system that makes SAMe is turned on, allowing for SAMe to donate the methyl groups. For example, the system that makes SAMe is turned on by the biological form of vitamin B9, known as folate or 5-MTHF (methylfolate). Without enough 5-MTHF, the methylation cycle does not work efficiently. So, one would think all you need to do is get enough folate in your diet to continue the cycle. Unfortunately, many people in the US have genetic variations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs within a gene, that make it difficult for their body to create 5-MTHF, which is the active and usable form of folate, from dietary folate.

There are people, as recently mentioned, that are likely to not be able to methylate properly. These people typically have a number of genetic SNPs affecting the methylation process. The most well known genetic SNP you may have heard about is MTHFR. There are many SNPs that play a role in the methylation process, however MTHFR is linked directly to the information we just talked about. For example, the MTHFR gene provides instructions (like a blueprint) for making the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. This enzyme is necessary to convert a form of folate, 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to the primary form we discussed earlier, 5-MTHF. If you have a SNP in the MTHFR gene, you may not be producing enough of the enzyme that’s needed for this conversion, and therefore slowing your body’s ability to methylate. Another example is the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. Having a specific COMT SNP affects the enzyme that causes the transfer of the methyl group from SAMe to its substrate. Again, slowing and improvising the methylation process.
There are, however, many steps you can take to improve your body’s methylation process. First, if you feel that you want to know if you’re more at risk for poor methylation, you can have a genetic test performed. Secondly, you can improve certain lifestyle factors that may be hindering this process.

Some of these lifestyle factors include:

• Exercising moderately or using relaxation techniques that will decrease stress hormones that also increase your methylation load.
• Try limiting your exposure to toxins that can be found in cleaning products, cosmetic products, those found in some of our food and water supply, and heavy metals. Toxins can burden the methylation system by causing DNA damage, therefore increasing the methylation load.
• Being cautious of overburdening your system with too much alcohol, medications, or excessive caffeine intake.
• Quitting smoking.

Additionally, your diet should contain plenty of foods high in B vitamins, such as the following:

• Leafy greens like spinach, collards, and turnip greens
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Eggs
• Wild caught fish
• Grass-fed meats, wild game
• Organic poultry
• Legumes, nuts, and seeds
• Nutritional yeast

If you hadn’t yet heard the term methylation, hopefully you have a better understanding of how important this process is and how to improve your methylation system. Methylation affects a number of other processes in our body and can impact how you function and feel on a daily basis. If you’re concerned about how this may be affecting your health, talk to your health practitioner for personalized answers and advice.

The traditional medical paradigm has primarily been to treat those facing a disorder, disease, or diagnosis by focusing on symptoms instead of root-cause medicine. Generally, the current model of medicine and the focus on prescriptions as the primary treatment modality is just not working. Although there are several public health recommendations concerning the prevention of disease, whether it be from the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, or the American Diabetes Association, the information disseminated from these sources seems to be somewhat ineffective in creating shifts toward decreasing the diagnoses of disease and improving health outcomes. According to the CDC, 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease (Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, e.g.). The CDC also states that “most chronic diseases can be prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco and excessive drinking, and getting regular health screenings.” In 2010 the US Department of Health & Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture published what was considered extensive guidelines for Americans, describing what comprised of a healthy diet. They included the incorporation of nutrient-dense foods (in proper amounts) to help maintain an ideal body weight. Yet, with these recommendations, we are not seeing a decrease in chronic ailments. For decades the blanket guidance given to the public regarding their health has been confusing for many. Suppose you’re looking outside the advice from your medical provider or government-led sources for information, and you’ve tried to improve your well-being. In that case, whether through exercise, nutrition, or spiritual outlets, you may know what a task it can be to field the landscape of the abundant amounts of information you can find without hardly looking. It has become incredibly difficult to filter through the cascade of new diets, studies, new policies, and pills. We can do so much to change our health and the trajectory of our lives by paying attention to the industry, finding inspiration, and discovering new ways to improve how we feel, look and focus. However, we can also spend too much time and money and possibly end up doing more harm than good. There’s a reason the nutrition industry is predicted to hit $465.4 billion by 2025. Because while we’d like to think that this new diet or superfood will be the end of our search for optimal health, what works for some certainly does not work for all…or even most. So what kind of change do we need, and how will it help?

Fortunately, more and more research is coming out daily, showing us how we differ regarding weight loss, cancer and health risks, exercise and diet recommendations, and individual stress responses. However, we’re also discovering that the right practitioner can utilize novel tools to make more specific, personalized recommendations. These personalized tools include an array of evolving technologies in the areas of genomics, epigenetics, life and behavioral sciences, diagnostics and clinical medicine, and systems biology (Minich, Bland). For example, variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene impact absorption, metabolism, and utilization of vitamin D, perhaps making dietary intervention, supplementation, and increased sun exposure a possible requirement for better health outcomes. This variant is especially prudent, given that the VDR gene is involved in inflammation, insulin-like growth factor signaling, and estrogen-related pathways. Knowing a patient has this variant in their genetic profile, investigating symptoms, and examining their lab work to verify if the SNP is expressing, can lead the practitioner and patient in the right direction when trying to prevent and improve one’s health.

According to Deanna M Minich and Jeffrey S Bland from the Personalized Lifestyle Institute, personalized lifestyle medicine “encompasses a broad array of disciplines in order to effectively prevent and treat disease, including the interface of technological advances with modern medicine discoveries for eventual dissemination into clinical medicine approaches.” While the guidelines for the general public, mentioned earlier in this article, have been average, blanket recommendations to get people on the right path, those guidelines do not consider an individual’s genetics or environment. Rather than sticking with the status quo of preventative medicine through generalized recommendations, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine may be much more successful in helping with the prevention and treatment of disease. Using the new technology, experienced practitioners, and customized recommendations, an individualized plan may give people a much better and more direct understanding of where they are, where to go and how to get there successfully.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, June 9). Chronic disease center (NCCDPHP). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved June 30, 2022
• Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. (2020, June 23). Human nutrition market worth $465.4 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2019- global market opportunity analysis and industry forecasts by meticulous research®. GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved June 30, 2022
• Minich, D. M., & Bland, J. S. (2013, June 26). Personalized lifestyle medicine: Relevance for nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. TheScientificWorldJournal. Retrieved June 30, 2022
• Sara Gottfried, M. D. (2020, December 10). Why personalized lifestyle medicine is the future of Healthcare. Sara Gottfried MD. Retrieved June 30, 2022
• For more information on Personalized Lifestyle Medicine, follow this link: https://plminstitute.org/

If you’ve heard about genetic testing in the past decade, it’s probably been through the marketing of ancestry companies. There’s the allure of finding out where you came from (or uncovering family secrets!), and at-home kits provided by these companies have shown everyday people how easy it is to test their DNA.

But unfortunately, due to the popularity and widespread marketing of ancestry tests, most people aren’t aware of the other benefits genetic testing can provide. While ancestry testing simply tells you where your family came from, genetic testing for health and wellness can lead you to a whole array of actionable insights into optimizing your eating, exercise, lifestyle choices, and more in order to achieve better health.

As we’ve been utilizing genetic testing with our patients at The Strive, here are a few ways genetic testing can inform your health and wellness.

A lot of approaches to health and wellness these days focus on a one-size-fits-all approach, prescribing the same diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices to everyone. But everyone is unique — so shouldn’t healthcare be tailored to that unique individual? Genetic testing uncovers a person’s genetic variants, which give us insight into how that person’s cells and systems function, show the impact of the types of food you eat and the environment around you, and more. 

In addition to the one-size-fits-all approach to health, many times practitioners are helping their patients simply combat symptoms of chronic illness. But constantly treating symptoms can be timely and costly, and never really addresses the root issues anyway. Since genetic testing reveals how your body works at the cellular level, it can point towards the root causes of illnesses that are generating those symptoms. That way, diseases can be treated at the source.

Those who have struggled to lose weight may spend time, energy, and money seeking new ways to get healthy and lose weight when their genes are able to give them all the insight they need. Genes are able to give insight into what types of exercise are best for your body, whether it be more endurance exercises or power exercises. They can also show how your body stores fat, which nutrients it absorbs best to inform which foods to eat, and other insights that can form a more targeted recommendation plan.

Your genes can also tell you more about your metabolism. We know that metabolism has a connection with energy and vibrancy, yet many of us have a “sluggish” metabolism we’re not sure how to correct. Knowing your genes can give you insights into how your metabolism is affected by what you eat, how you burn energy, how you store fat, and more. 

What if you’ve been hitting the gym and trying to get fit, but you’ve been doing the wrong exercises all this time? Getting insights into your genes can actually show you whether your body is more suited for endurance activities, like running or bicycling, or whether your body is more suited for power activities like sprinting or weight lifting. Knowing more about how your body works means being able to choose the right activities for you.

We’re all affected by caffeine in various ways — some people can drink coffee right up until bedtime, when others have to cut themselves off mid-morning! But do we know why? Our genes can tell us! Our genes are responsible for how quickly we metabolize caffeine, so we can know whether to have that extra cup or not.

As you can see, knowing your genes and how they affect your body can give you insights into many different aspects of your health and wellness so that you can make better choices each day about actions that affect you. For example, did you know that your genes can determine how well your body eliminates toxins, which can help you make choices about what environments to be in? Your genes can also give you insight into your stress levels, and flag if you’re not getting enough sleep at night. 

Knowing your genes can reveal a lot more to you than just what’s stated above. Additionally, as our knowledge continues to increase around how genes work and how they impact our bodies, the blueprint that genetic testing provides for your optimal health will only become more detailed, allowing you to build the perfect life of health and wellness suitable to you. 

If the 3×4 genetic test interests you, let’s start your personalized health journey today!