What is Methylation?
What is Methylation?
Methylation is an ongoing chemical process in your God designed body that plays a role in:
How your genes express
How well your body detoxes
Your hormone balance + more
Optimal methylation is critical for maintaining health and longevity. We run into many issues when do not methylate well.
This can lead to things like:
Estrogen mediated cancers
Weight loss resistance
Hormone imbalances
Chronic fatigue
Autism
Insomnia
Heart disease
ADHD
What impacts methylation?
In order to methylate well, your body needs lots of nutrients because the process of methylation is very nutrient expensive.
You need nutrients like:
Folate
B-12
Biotin (B-7)
Riboflavin (B2)
Pyridoxine (b6)
This does not mean jump to supplements right away, (yes, even if you are a “MTHFR”).
Targeted supplementation has it’s time and place, but excess supplementation can often worsen symptoms because they add an extra burden on your already burdened + sluggish liver.
Especially if you are choosing the wrong forms. For example, if you have MTHFR, you want to avoid folic acid supplements because your body has a hard time converting it into its final form for use.
Your liver also has to detox supplements (yes even if they are “natural”).
And sometimes it is better to go without them + choose food based support, while focusing on your foundations first.
Too many supplements can also deplete essential nutrients needed for methylation (too much vitamin D for example can deplete magnesium + potassium), which are needed for the body to methylate well.
Or too much zinc for example can displace bioavailable copper in the body, which is extra crucial for my MTHFR friends struggling with methylation + histamine issues.
Your body always compensates when it receives a new input. The inputs matter!
So what can we do first instead?
Start with optimizing your nutrition, sunlight, and stress response!
You would be amazed at how much these seemingly “mundane” things can move the needle for people when they are willing to be consistent for a season.
Fascinated by topics like this and want to learn more about how to support your body as a whole?
Join my Functional Health Membership for helpful deep dive articles, workshops, + programs!
P.S here is a great book that dives deep into methylation!
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9380836/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/methylation#
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10522201/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6218441/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6140912/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7466216/
