Lower Homocysteine with MTHFR

High homocysteine is one of the most medically recognized consequences of having an MTHFR gene mutation, and learning to lower homocysteine with MTHFR can protect your health long-term. Balancing your methylation and boosting your B vitamins, especially B2, folate or 5-LMTHF, and B12, is the usual first step with MTHFR. But for true health, there are some other things that matter as well. One of those, is your homocysteine level. Homocysteine is one of the best testable markers we have for how well your active folate status is doing in real life.

Why Is It Important to Lower Homocysteine?

Homocysteine is inflammatory in its own right, but it is also an indicator of how well your folate cycle is working. If your MTHFR is not converting folate into active folate, then homocysteine begins to build up in the blood. Homocysteine is associated with many negative health consequences including:

• Atherosclerosis

• Coronary Artery Disease

• Heart Attack

• Stroke

• High Blood Pressure

• Erectile Dysfunction

• Alzheimer's Disease

• Cognitive Decline

• Osteoporosis

• Neural Tube Defects

• Chronic Kidney Disease

• Hypothyroid

• Psoriasis

• Diabetic Retinopathy and Nephropathy

• Poor Outcomes with COVID-19

MTHFR Isn't The Only Cause of High Homocysteine

Homocysteine is an excelent metric for people with MTHFR, but high levels can have other causes as well, so it isn't a perfect measure of MTHFR health. Other Causes of high homocystein (or hyperhomocysteinemia) include:

• Poor diet, low in fruits and vegetables

• Alcohol intake

• Smoking

• Diabetes

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Thyroid imbalance

• Chronic inflammatory diseases

• Celiac disease

• Crohn's disease

• Long-term use of corticosteroids

• Prescription medications

  • methotrexate (because it lowers folate)

  • metformin (long-term use because it interferes with B12 absorption)

  • hydrochlorothyazide

  • Fibrate-type cholesterol-lowering medications

  • Levodopa

  • Anti-epileptic drugs (long-term use)

  • Possibly nicotinic acid or niacin, but research is very conflicted.

  
  

If you have one of these underlying conditions or are taking a medication known to elevate homocysteine, then working on that condition or talking with your physician about the medication is a great place to start. There are other things you can do as well.

The MTHFR Plan to Lower Homocysteine

1. Balance your methylation - I've said it already, but the first step is always boosting your methylation cycle because this is where we tend to stall out with MTHFR. This means following the To Health With That! Roadmap. Eliminate folic acid, add food sources of natural (not fortified) folate, add a methylation-friendly multivitamin, then add 5-LMTHF, or folinic acid, or whatever workaround you are using if you don't tolerate folate. If you aren't familiar with the plan, you can download your copy of the MTHFR and methylation roadmap here.

2. Limit your protein intake - Moderate protein diets are generally great and if you're highly active or athletic you may have a higher protein need, but too much protein can mean that your body makes more homocysteine. If you're working on lowering your homocysteine, a protein heavy diet like keto or atkins may not be for you.

3. Quit smoking - Smoking is not great for you in so many ways, and raising your homocystseine levels is one more.

4. Take a look at your alcohol intake - Alcohol blocks folate absorption, and so increased drinking can raise your homocysteine levels. Alcohol is also generally inflammatory, so it may raise homocysteine through other mechanisms as well.

5. Balance your coffee intake - As much as it pains me, too much coffee has consequences, and high homocysteine is one of them.

6. Zinc - Zinc is a cofactor in some of the enzymes involved in the recycling of homocysteine to methionine, and so zinc deficiency can increase homocysteine levels while zinc supplementation can help to improve beneficial conversion.

7. NAC - NAC, or N-acetyl cysteine, has been shown to lower homocysteine levels in research studies.

8. Fish oils - In a magical synergy, fish oils taken with B vitamins make both suppelments work better together than they do apart.

9. Make sure there aren't other underlying causes - If you're doing everything right and your homocysteine still isn't where you want it to be, talk to your doctor about other underlying causes. There may be something out of balance, like thyroid or a reaction to a medication that you're not aware of.

With MTHFR, everything you do for your health, matters. All the small steps you take add together to contribute to something bigger. Asking your doctor to measure your homocysteine every one to two years can be a great way to stay in tune with your body and prevent negative long-term health outcomes.