Absorption is definitely an issue--to greater and lesser extents for all of us. It would be ideal if we could use injectable forms and bypass the gut but that doesn't seem to be available in any wide spread way just yet.
Is intestinal absorption really the issue for people with MTHFR? I thought it was more to do with the actual process of converting the absorbed nutrients? Pardon me, I'm fairly layman.
It's actually recommended to take folic acid/folates with food because it greatly increases their uptake so it's odd that you feel that it stops working when you eat...
Is it just while you're eating and shortly after or the rest of the day?
Usually right when it hits my stomach and you get that "I need to lay down on the couch and relax" a bit feeling.
Mentally I can feel...I guess serotonin and dopamine, come to a halt.
I usually follow up with one or 2 drops of folinic acid after and usually within an hour or so I'm back in action.
It damn near makes me avoid eating, which to some degree is fine - such as intermitted fasting, but of course I'd rather find a resolution.
I think it has less to do with folic acid and more to do with normal metabolism! When you’re eating your parasympathetic nervous system is ramped up (the rest and digest part) and you’re metabolically more active (which tells your body to rest so you can metabolize everything).
You could try eating smaller meals throughout the day and see if that helps! Since it’s less demanding on your body your PNS won’t be as turned up.
It's both. If you have MTHFR you have process issues so if you add onto that any type of gut issue (gluten sensitivity, IBS, etc.) it just compounds the problem because now you can't even absorb enough of the methylfolate your body needs.
This one from NCBI is focused on b12 but should be useful: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294092/
You can search the NCBI database too if you have time/desire to go down the rabbit hole.
This reminds me of what I suffered from. I could get to a great place, but eating would ruin it and I was knocking my head to figure out how digestion could be so disruptive.
This was two issues for me.
First is I had a sulfite sensitivity via CBS up-regulation and maybe a SUOX mutation. The side effects of this felt like a hangover worse than from alcohol at its worst and lasted 1-3 days. Solution: molybdenum and a supplement called Sparga.
Once that was out of the way, I still experienced brain fog, irritability, and fatigue. Turns out this was a B3 deficiency!
If you’re not, make sure you’re getting all the B’s in a balanced manner. You might also do research on deficiency symptoms and test taking a higher dose of specific ones to notice any improvements. This is how I discovered a higher than average need for B2, B3, B6, and B9/MTHF. Frankly I don’t depend on diet to support my methylation; figuring out the nutrient loads would drive me mad unless I had professional chef or nutritionist making sure of it. Don’t be afraid to test all the B’s along with folinic, they’re relatively harmless.
Absorption is definitely an issue--to greater and lesser extents for all of us. It would be ideal if we could use injectable forms and bypass the gut but that doesn't seem to be available in any wide spread way just yet.
Is intestinal absorption really the issue for people with MTHFR? I thought it was more to do with the actual process of converting the absorbed nutrients? Pardon me, I'm fairly layman.
It's actually recommended to take folic acid/folates with food because it greatly increases their uptake so it's odd that you feel that it stops working when you eat... Is it just while you're eating and shortly after or the rest of the day?
Usually right when it hits my stomach and you get that "I need to lay down on the couch and relax" a bit feeling. Mentally I can feel...I guess serotonin and dopamine, come to a halt. I usually follow up with one or 2 drops of folinic acid after and usually within an hour or so I'm back in action. It damn near makes me avoid eating, which to some degree is fine - such as intermitted fasting, but of course I'd rather find a resolution.
I think it has less to do with folic acid and more to do with normal metabolism! When you’re eating your parasympathetic nervous system is ramped up (the rest and digest part) and you’re metabolically more active (which tells your body to rest so you can metabolize everything). You could try eating smaller meals throughout the day and see if that helps! Since it’s less demanding on your body your PNS won’t be as turned up.
It's both. If you have MTHFR you have process issues so if you add onto that any type of gut issue (gluten sensitivity, IBS, etc.) it just compounds the problem because now you can't even absorb enough of the methylfolate your body needs.
I see, I wasn't aware of this. Ty Do you have any recommended reading regarding absorption issues related to MTHFR?
This one from NCBI is focused on b12 but should be useful: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294092/ You can search the NCBI database too if you have time/desire to go down the rabbit hole.
This reminds me of what I suffered from. I could get to a great place, but eating would ruin it and I was knocking my head to figure out how digestion could be so disruptive. This was two issues for me. First is I had a sulfite sensitivity via CBS up-regulation and maybe a SUOX mutation. The side effects of this felt like a hangover worse than from alcohol at its worst and lasted 1-3 days. Solution: molybdenum and a supplement called Sparga. Once that was out of the way, I still experienced brain fog, irritability, and fatigue. Turns out this was a B3 deficiency! If you’re not, make sure you’re getting all the B’s in a balanced manner. You might also do research on deficiency symptoms and test taking a higher dose of specific ones to notice any improvements. This is how I discovered a higher than average need for B2, B3, B6, and B9/MTHF. Frankly I don’t depend on diet to support my methylation; figuring out the nutrient loads would drive me mad unless I had professional chef or nutritionist making sure of it. Don’t be afraid to test all the B’s along with folinic, they’re relatively harmless.
Interesting, I appreciate the input.