Natural Help for Restless Legs Syndrome – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 379
Millions of Americans suffer from restless legs syndrome, an issue that can negatively pack sleep, energy and more. The good news is that there are nutrients that can help.
Tag: folate
Can Nutrition Help with Shingles Pain? – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 362
Shingles can cause long-lasting pain wherever you have an outbreak. The good news is that there are nutrients that can help with the nerve pain.
How Specific Genes Impact Your Mood & Health – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 202
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Have you ever thought about if your genes are making you feel abnormal? Is it possible that our genes are disrupting our mental well-being? The answer is definitely yes. I want to talk today about MTHFR and COMT. It’s really quite common and it’s amazing how many people can have this type of a gene mutation or genetic variation to one or both of those specific genes that can really affect your overall well-being.
I want to discuss the impact that a gene variant can have on how we feel every single day. Do you feel anxious? Are you feeling like you have low mood? There are so many different ways in which our genes, if they are not working properly, can really make a huge difference in terms of our day-to-day functioning.
What are MTHFR and COMT?
When we talk about MTHFR, we are looking at the specific gene that is providing the instructions for your body in order to make the MTHFR protein, which helps the body with processing folate. We know that we need to have folate in order to make DNA, so everything is interconnected. Each person has 2 copies of the MTHFR gene, 1 comes from your mother and 1 comes from your father. We know that if we have any type of a variant in the genes we receive from our parents, this can actually make a really significant impact on how the body is detoxifying. If we become overly toxic, this can impact our overall sense of well-being.
MTHFR is methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. This is this very key and important enzyme when it comes to the metabolism of folate. We have to have MTHFR in order to have this proper conversion, so this can impact not only our sense of mental well-being, but also when we look at cardiovascular, because we know homocysteine plays a role in this as well.
When we look at things such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and autism, we know they can be impacted via MTHFR. This is why it is very beneficial to consider having your MTHFR test done. This is a very simple test. It’s a genetic test and you just do a simple cheek swab. Then, we get the results back and you can see if you have one of these variants that you receive from your parents. Once you’re armed with that information, you can make adjustments to your dietary intake of things like B vitamins, and recognize that taking a standard synthetic B vitamin is really not the best thing for you because your body has an inability to actually convert that into its bioactive form.
GET PROACTIVE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH WITH COMPREHENSIVE GENETIC TESTING – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 113. Learn More >>
COMT is a particular gene that plays a really important role in providing the instructions for making the enzyme known as catechol-o-methyltransferase, which is essential when we look at the nerve cells in the brain. It plays an integral role in terms of the functionality within the cortex of the brain and signaling different neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. If we have a gene mutation within COMT, this can have an impact on those particular neurotransmitters, which can lead to issues such as feeling very edgy, anxious, or depressed. This is why looking at these things can give you a lot of insight.
Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about how to help your body if you have an MTHFR or COMT variant.
B Complex Vitamins & Your Brain, Part 2 – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 103
In Part 2, we are going to talk about the last two specific B Vitamins – Vitamin B9 (Folate) and Vitamin B12 (Cobalman) for your brain, along with important amino acids that require these B complex vitamins to function properly.
B Complex Vitamins & Your Brain, Part 1 – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 102
B Complex Vitamins are involved with everything that occurs in your body, but are extremely important for our brain. Lacking B Vitamins in the brain is connected with depression, shrinkage of the brain and memory loss with aging.
New Study: Many Adults Deficient in Vitamin B12 and Folate
Photo by Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash
Researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing at Trinity Collage in Dublin, Ireland have proved that a substantial number of adults over 50 are at a risk of a Vitamin B12 and Folate deficiency.
Here’s what the study found, according to the journal British Journal of Nutrition –
- One in eight adults over 50 were low to deficient in vitamin B12 while one in seven were low to deficient in folate
- The prevalence of low or deficient folate increased with age, from 14% among those aged 50-60 years to 23% among people over 80 years old. Low folate status was also more common in smokers, the obese, and those who lived alone
- Low or deficient vitamin B12 was more common in smokers (14%), people who lived alone (14.3%) and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds (13%)
- Use of both vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation was low, with higher rates among women than men but less than 4% overall taking supplements of either vitamin
Here’s what deficiencies in both Vitamin B12 and Folate mean for you body.
Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
Recent studies show that a sufficient level of Vitamin B12 are needed by the body to reduce homocysteine levels, protect the heart and arteries, support the weight of brain matter, promote mental energy and mood, protect memory function, and support hearing health. Vitamin B12 is also required for energy, stamina, and blood cell formation and division. Those going through periods of stress may have increased demand for B12, as it is involved in the production of stress hormones – this means that our bodies need more of it during times of high stress. *
A B12 deficiency can exhibit many symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, light-headedness, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, and skin pallor, and may lead to Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia and neurologic dysfunction. B12 deficiency can also lead to easy bruising or bleeding, as well as bleeding gums. Digestive symptoms include sore tongue, nausea, weight loss, diarrhea and/or constipation. Nerve cell damage can result when B12 deficiency is not corrected, leading to tingling or numbness to the fingers and toes, difficulty walking, frequent mood changes, occasional depression, memory loss and disorientation.
Folate (Folic Acid) Deficiency
Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9, is a water-soluble member of the B-Complex family, which has to be replenished daily. It is found in vitamin supplements, fortified foods, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, beans, nuts, and some fruits. It supports heart and circulatory health and may support blood pressure already within a normal range. Folic acid helps the body regulate the level of homocysteine; an intermediate in protein metabolism that, if elevated, is bad for the heart, brain, eyes, and bone health. Folic acid is used by the body to create new cells, making it critically important to supplement with during pregnancy.*