What Is MTHFR and How Is It Related To Methylation?
MTHFR (methyletetrahydrofolate reductase) is an enzyme that converts folic acid into usable form that our bodies need. It is a key enzyme in an important detoxification reaction in the body-one that converts homocysteine (toxic) to methionine (benign). If this enzyme is impaired, this detoxification reaction is impaired, leading to high homocysteine blood levels. Homocysteine is abrasive to blood vessels, essentially scratching them, leaving damage that causes heart attacks, stroke, dementia and a host of other problems. Additionally, when the enzyme MTHFR is impaired, other methylation reactions are compromised. Some of these methylation reactions affect neurotransmitters, which is why impaired MTHFR activity is linked with depression. Inefficiency of the MTHFR enzyme is also linked to migraines, autism, fertility, cancer and birth defects, all of which depend on proper methylation. WHAT IS THE MTHFR GENE? There is a gene called the MTHFR gene that basically controls how well this enz