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Help Interpreting 23andme Results.

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
greenshots I am still overwhelmed by all this complicated genetic gymnastics. o_O In fact, I really have no idea what I am doing. Correct me if I am wrong, but boiling down what you said above, I get the impression that these might be the best first steps:

1) test my urine to see how bad the sulfur problem (CBS) REALLY is

2) proceed forward with small doses of hydroxy and methlymate. I know I will have to dilute these, or take them only 2X/week. Otherwise I will be gushing toxins out of my system. I definitely have an issue with heavy metals--lead, arsenic, thallium, and a few others to a lesser extent.

Some additional facts about me:
I feel like a wired manic from even a pinch of the TMG--not an option for me right now!
And I can't sleep at all without my L-tryptophan, so not an option to stop that, as my sleep is bad enuf as it is.
I do not have a strep history or any big gut issues, tho before my collapse with "mono" I did have an amoeba, which is gone at this point.

Thanks for your input. It is still all Greek to me.
 
Messages
22
The MAO...mutations means you are not breaking down neurotransmitters very fast


Are you sure about this? It sounds like this particular mao mutation actually leads to HIGH mao enzyme activity, not low, which, from my estimation, leads to quicker breakdown of serotonin,etc., which could have a depressive effect, so it would seemingly have a lowering effect on neurotransmitters/hormones. Or maybe I'm confusing things?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAO-A

In patients with major depressive disorder, those with MAOA G/T polymorphisms (rs6323) coding for the highest-activity form of the enzyme
Genetic association studies examining the relationship between high-activity MAOA variants and depression have produced mixed results, with some studies linking the high-activity variants to major depression in females, depressed suicide in males, major depression and sleep disturbance in males and major depressive disorder in both males and females.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
Are you sure about this? It sounds like this particular mao mutation actually leads to HIGH mao enzyme activity, not low, which, from my estimation, leads to quicker breakdown of serotonin,etc., which could have a depressive effect, so it would seemingly have a lowering effect on neurotransmitters/hormones. Or maybe I'm confusing things?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAO-A
Maybe I got that wrong, then. I assumed this was the same as COMT+, which means decreased activity of the enzyme, according to Yasko. Isn't that what she says?
 

greenshots

Senior Member
Messages
399
Location
California
The COMT is a down regulation and the MAO appears to be an upregulation. That makes more sense, now that i think about it. yasko doesn't really spell out whether the MAO is an up or down reg but considering almost everyone with it actually seems like they need more serotonin, it makes sense. Thanks Wowzer.

Dreambirdie, i'd say yes to your question and start them every day but in teensy doses instead of once or twice a week. It won't matter about TMG right now anyway.

The sulfur is more of an issue with the SUOX even though the bigger CBS defects can increase that too. With your little CBS, I don't really see the point of buying expensive sulfur strips. Ammonia is more of a problem with the CBS but since yours is the little one, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal either. Either way, sulfur as the thiol version is more of a problem for people with mercury toxicity, not just sulfur based foods. There's a New Zealand site that lists sulfur thiols based on Dr.Cutler's work and should be easy to google. I only mention this in case of a bigger sulfur and mercury issue, not otherwise.
 

Symptomatic

Senior Member
Messages
197
I will throw my hat in the ring as well. I plan to sit down and go through Heartfixer and Yasko's book systematically, but here's what I've got. No red, but lots of yellows (and this was 23andMe, so some on Yasko's list were not tested). Comments welcomed and appreciated.

Yellow (+/-):
CBS C699T
COMT V158M
COMT H62H
VDR Bsm
VDR Taq
MAO A R297R
MTHFR C677T
MTRR A66G
MTRR H595Y
MTRR K350A
BHMT-08
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Okay then, me too. Here is my entire profile. I got some good info already from greenshots.
All I really want is SLEEP. If there is some clue here about how to get that, I'll take it!

Methylation Analysis Results.jpg
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
I am just learning these things myself, but here is my short interpretation. The MTRR mutations means you need MB12. The MTHFR means you need methylfolate. Since it is only +/-, your MTHFR enzyme (which is producing MTHF) is running at approx 70%, so you might just need a little, say 200mcg. The BMHT mutation would indicate that you might benefit from TMG.

The MAO and COMT mutations means you are not breaking down neurotransmitters very fast, meaning they can hang around and cause overstimulation, so you will have to move slowly. Especially the MAO +/+ means you break down serotonin vey slowly. If you have ever reacted badly to a SSRI in the past, this could be why.

CBS means you're likely to be producing more ammonia. Yasko recommends a low protein diet for this, and taking Yucca with meals. Also, don't overdo B6 supplementation.

Here is a short and simple guide:
http://www.autismnti.com/images/Website-_Yasko_Education.pdf

awesome guide, thanks adreno for the link.
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
Hey Adreno--I have the MAO snip, and in my case I do well with the tryptophan each night. I think Angela (greenshots) said something about needing more serotonin with this snip.

The COMT is a down regulation and the MAO appears to be an upregulation. That makes more sense, now that i think about it. yasko doesn't really spell out whether the MAO is an up or down reg but considering almost everyone with it actually seems like they need more serotonin, it makes sense.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
greenshots Some additional facts about me:
I feel like a wired manic from even a pinch of the TMG--not an option for me right now!
And I can't sleep at all without my L-tryptophan, so not an option to stop that, as my sleep is bad enuf as it is.
I do not have a strep history or any big gut issues, tho before my collapse with "mono" I did have an amoeba, which is gone at this point.

Thanks for your input. It is still all Greek to me.

Just want to mention I believe my recurrent health 'issues' started when I got Mono in 1995. It took me almost 12 months to recover (not sure I call it full recovery). A mind and body numbing fatigue. I had experienced a similar fatigue with monthly cycle but it only lasted 2-3 days. What happened with the mono was so over the top. I wonder if the allergist who determined I had mono gave me wrong instructions, told me to stay home and rest one week then back to work. I struggled to work consistently for months, beyond frustrating and scary. She never retested EBV to see where it was at anytime after that initial diagnosis, she never referred me to any specialist (is there a specialist for Mono?).
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
Just want to mention I believe my recurrent health 'issues' started when I got Mono in 1995. It took me almost 12 months to recover (not sure I call it full recovery). A mind and body numbing fatigue. I had experienced a similar fatigue with monthly cycle but it only lasted 2-3 days. What happened with the mono was so over the top. I wonder if the allergist who determined I had mono gave me wrong instructions, told me to stay home and rest one week then back to work. I struggled to work consistently for months, beyond frustrating and scary. She never retested EBV to see where it was at anytime after that initial diagnosis, she never referred me to any specialist (is there a specialist for Mono?).

My illness started with Mono also, I think my Dr told me to take 2 weeks off? I got bored though and went for a bike ride!

GG

PS I am not aware of a specialist for Mono, perhaps an infectious disease Dr? I would imagine you have seen the Co-cure list?:

http://www.co-cure.org/USA_IL.htm

Not sure if Dr Lerner "treats" Mono, but he is big on viruses, here is his website:

http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com/

and he is "close" by in Michigan.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
The MAO and COMT mutations means you are not breaking down neurotransmitters very fast, meaning they can hang around and cause overstimulation, so you will have to move slowly. Especially the MAO +/+ means you break down serotonin vey slowly. If you have ever reacted badly to a SSRI in the past, this could be why.

adreno would you define "bad reaction" please? My daughter is 16 and her doctors want to put her on SSRI's. Her dad and I are against it. I don't have her SNP yet, but I'm MAO ++ and have two COMT ++ as well, so she may have issues with this too. My gut tells me Prozac is a bad idea, but try telling that to a 16 year old who's convinced all her problems will go away as soon as she takes the pills. Sigh...
 

greenshots

Senior Member
Messages
399
Location
California
The current thinking is that MAO is an upreg and COMT is a downreg. If this is true, people with the MAO ++ eat up their serotonin supplies faster and this could be why alotta people with MAO need SSRI. I think MAO is sex inherited so that mom passes on this gene. I'm not sure if this helps decide whether your daughter needs Prozac or not but you could always have a little home trial of St. John's wart or something to see how she does. The trouble is, suicidal teens are higher risk for problems so I'd avoid any of them if she's in the throes of that. On the other hand, if a teen feels that way, they need some kind of help. Its a tough call.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
adreno would you define "bad reaction" please? My daughter is 16 and her doctors want to put her on SSRI's. Her dad and I are against it. I don't have her SNP yet, but I'm MAO ++ and have two COMT ++ as well, so she may have issues with this too. My gut tells me Prozac is a bad idea, but try telling that to a 16 year old who's convinced all her problems will go away as soon as she takes the pills. Sigh...
By bad reaction I mean intolerable side effects. But, as greenshots writes, it seems that MAO ++ is an upregulation of the enzyme, not a downregulation, so the point is moot.
 

Phred

Senior Member
Messages
141
The current thinking is that MAO is an upreg and COMT is a downreg. If this is true, people with the MAO ++ eat up their serotonin supplies faster and this could be why alotta people with MAO need SSRI. I think MAO is sex inherited so that mom passes on this gene. I'm not sure if this helps decide whether your daughter needs Prozac or not but you could always have a little home trial of St. John's wart or something to see how she does. The trouble is, suicidal teens are higher risk for problems so I'd avoid any of them if she's in the throes of that. On the other hand, if a teen feels that way, they need some kind of help. Its a tough call.

Thanks adreno and greenshots.

greenshots when you said, "The trouble is, suicidal teens are higher risk for problems so I'd avoid any of them if she's in the throes of that." which "them" are you referring to? The Prozac or St. John's wart?

Definitely not an easy decision.
 

greenshots

Senior Member
Messages
399
Location
California
Since you can't really avoid teenagers, the "them" I referred to are the SSRI's you spoke about :) They're often contraindicated in suicidal teenagers, unless under inpatient observation. St john's is technically an SSRI but its very low dose so I'd personally choose that one over prozac or paxil, zoloft, lexapro, and so forth.
I'm an ICU nurse so have to deal with this population alott! I really feel for what your going through, its so tough being a parent today but esp., a mother!
 
Messages
1
Just got my 23andMe results and am trying to decipher them. I have been struggling with peripheral neuropathy, atrial fibrillation, insomnia and blurred vision. My Dr. recommended that I have them but also wanted me to get help interpreting the results. 23andMe is collaborating with InformedDNA to help interpret. However, my insurance does not cover them and the initial consult is $375. Has anybody heard of them? I ran my results through Genetic genie and would appreciate any assistance in interpreting them
COMT V158M +/+
COMT H62H +/+
MAO A R297R +/+
VDR Bsm +/-
VDR Taq +/-
MTHFR C677T +/-
MTRR A66G +/-
MTRR A664A +/-
BHMT-02 +/-
BHMT-04 +/-
BHMT-08 +/-
CBS C699T +/-
SHMT1 C1420T +/-

We think the peripheral neuropathy may have been caused by B6 toxicity. I was only taking a supplement with 50mg of B6 per day which is supposed to be too low to cause toxicity. Things were gradually getting better for first couple months after stopping the B6 but appear to be getting worse the last 2 weeks. I am wondering if I know have another issue with methylation or B12 deficiency. Does the priority/order of treatment recommended by Yasko differentiate between whether you are homozygous and heterozygous or do you just treat in order listed? Anybody heard of good Dr. familiar with this stuff in PA?
 

leela

Senior Member
Messages
3,290
For $20 you can run your data through http://www.mthfrsupport.com/ -- it offers quite a lot more SNPs than the genetic genie (which offers a great report on the ones it does run). While there is no detailed report with it, many of the
SNPs link directly to SNPedia, which is sorta helpful. Not answering your question about interpretation, but it is another useful resource at a low cost.
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Just got my 23andMe results and am trying to decipher them. I have been struggling with peripheral neuropathy, atrial fibrillation, insomnia and blurred vision. My Dr. recommended that I have them but also wanted me to get help interpreting the results. 23andMe is collaborating with InformedDNA to help interpret. However, my insurance does not cover them and the initial consult is $375. Has anybody heard of them? I ran my results through Genetic genie and would appreciate any assistance in interpreting them
COMT V158M +/+
COMT H62H +/+
MAO A R297R +/+
VDR Bsm +/-
VDR Taq +/-
MTHFR C677T +/-
MTRR A66G +/-
MTRR A664A +/-
BHMT-02 +/-
BHMT-04 +/-
BHMT-08 +/-
CBS C699T +/-
SHMT1 C1420T +/-

We think the peripheral neuropathy may have been caused by B6 toxicity. I was only taking a supplement with 50mg of B6 per day which is supposed to be too low to cause toxicity. Things were gradually getting better for first couple months after stopping the B6 but appear to be getting worse the last 2 weeks. I am wondering if I know have another issue with methylation or B12 deficiency. Does the priority/order of treatment recommended by Yasko differentiate between whether you are homozygous and heterozygous or do you just treat in order listed? Anybody heard of good Dr. familiar with this stuff in PA?
b6bob,

A few thoughts:
1. MTRR A66G +/- indicates that you will probably need higher B12 levels than people who are -/-. The type of B12 matters. Avoid cyanocobalamin. You may or may not react badly to methylcobalamin because of the COMT and MAO A +/+s you have. If it does work for you, great. If it doesn't work for you, hydroxycobalamin might.

2. You have +/- for both MTHFR C677T and A1298C, the combination that Dr. Rawlins thinks is such a bad one. Methylfolate supplementation is probably a very important help for that, and I would start it before the B12 because when you start the B12, it will start using up methylfolate faster. Pay attention to how you feel and don't hesitate to up your methylfolate when you start B12, particularly if your face and/or scalp break out.

3. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes. One is B6 toxicity (by supplements only), but another is B6 deficiency. Another is the antibiotic Levaquin. Another is related to diabetes. Here is where lab results come in, or at least they did for me. I was taking 100 mg B6 daily for months, but my lab results (amino acid profile) indicated B6 deficiency. It appears I can't use the pyridoxine hydrochloride I was using. I switched to 100 mg P5P, the active form of B6, and no more deficiency.

4. With your VDR +/-, see if your doctor will check your Vitamin D levels. When your Vitamin D receptors aren't as 'receptive', higher levels of vitamin D are needed. While +/- isn't as bad as +/+, your doctor may want your levels in the top half of the range.

5. I know nothing about atrial fibrillation, but that makes me think about potassium. My pulse goes up (double) when I'm low on potassium. Maybe check that?

6. Insomnia. Well, that has a million causes too. For me, I was low on protein - bad digestion, bad absorption, and when I started branch chain amino acids, it cured my insomnia that very day and for a few months. I was using methylfolate and methylB12, too. Then my blood tests showed low serum tryptophan and methionine. I added tryptophan supplements and started sleeping better for a while, then had to increase it again when I the insomnia returned and my lab tests showed my tryptophan was low again, in spite of my supplementation. Of course, these things may not help you at all, but it does show how lab tests can inform your treatment.

I'm sure your doctor knows that genetics and symptoms are only part of the picture. Environment and lifestyle are also important parts. That's why I think that lab tests are also important. These symptoms have so many causes - it's hard to tell what to do from your genetics only, especially when you have so many +/-.

Food for thought. I hope that you get some other inputs, as my knowledge is limited.