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Quick back story......
I am currently being treated for heavy metals toxicity. I have tested slightly elevated for lead and mercury on a provoked urinary heavy metals test/challenge. My first doc thought the levels weren't significant enough to be concerned about, so we spent two years battling Lyme disease with many various Rx antibiotics and herbals. Nothing I took caused a reaction (other than obvious gastro issues from the Rx abx).
Since then, I have seen another doctor on his recommendation. This doctor says my heavy metals lab results are very relevant, especially when considering my genomic deficits (CBS C699T +/-, BHMT 1 +/+, BHMT 8 +/+, etc.) . His theory is that my body does not detoxify efficiently, and therefore my system will not spill large amounts of heavy metals on a provocation test.
The current doc has me on a low thiol/sulfur diet along with DMSA, ALA, and Zeolite all taken twice per day. This is along with many supporting supplements. I am also doing infrared saunas three times per week. Other than some skin breakouts, I am not seeing a whole lot of signs of improvement.
OK - On to my concern. I don't know whether I should be restricting thiols/sulfur or consuming it abundantly. Most of he detox gurus recommend a lot of sulfur to help in glutathione generation, etc. However, Andy Culter and others have stated that excess cysteine reacts negatively with free mercury and causes worse symptoms. This is all very confusing, and I am a very involved patient, but there seem to be a lot of contradictions.
Does an up-regulated CBS pathway lead to high or low cysteine status? There is no longer blood test for cysteine, so a low-thiol/sulfur diet is used to test for sensitivity. After a week, if you feel better, then thiol groups are an issue for you. However, after two months, I do not feel a lot different (not much better or worse... maybe slightly better, but not significantly).
Bottom line - How can I tell if I need more or less cysteine based upon the info above. Yasko's site states the following:
Taurine
Why will the CBS mutation tend to produce higher levels of taurine? One of the roles of the transsulfuration pathway is to generate both glutathione and taurine. If the cell detects a low level of cysteine, it will favor glutathione synthesis. High levels of cysteine lead to taurine synthesis. With a CBS upregulation, more cysteine is generated, shunting the pathway toward taurine formation. Some animal studies indicate that the CBS C699T represents a forty-fold increase in enzyme activity. The CBS A360A is a less active upregulation. It’s not surprising that in those with the CBS mutation it’s common to see low levels of homocysteine, cysteine, or cystathionine, due to the rapid conversion to taurine.
I have highly elevated urinary taurine levels and borderline high blood taurine levels. So, based on all of this can I determine if I have high or low cysteine, and therefore determine the need for thiol avoidance or increased need? Yasko sounds contradictory when she says: "High levels of cysteine lead to taurine synthesis. With a CBS upregulation, more cysteine is generated, shunting the pathway toward taurine formation." And then she ends the paragraph with: "in those with the CBS mutation it’s common to see low levels of homocysteine, cysteine, or cystathionine, due to the rapid conversion to taurine."
So which is it?? Does a CBS/BHMT mutation lead to high Cysteine or low Cysteine or is CBS activity not related to Cysteine levels at all?
Thanks in advance for you help with this.
Ryan
I am currently being treated for heavy metals toxicity. I have tested slightly elevated for lead and mercury on a provoked urinary heavy metals test/challenge. My first doc thought the levels weren't significant enough to be concerned about, so we spent two years battling Lyme disease with many various Rx antibiotics and herbals. Nothing I took caused a reaction (other than obvious gastro issues from the Rx abx).
Since then, I have seen another doctor on his recommendation. This doctor says my heavy metals lab results are very relevant, especially when considering my genomic deficits (CBS C699T +/-, BHMT 1 +/+, BHMT 8 +/+, etc.) . His theory is that my body does not detoxify efficiently, and therefore my system will not spill large amounts of heavy metals on a provocation test.
The current doc has me on a low thiol/sulfur diet along with DMSA, ALA, and Zeolite all taken twice per day. This is along with many supporting supplements. I am also doing infrared saunas three times per week. Other than some skin breakouts, I am not seeing a whole lot of signs of improvement.
OK - On to my concern. I don't know whether I should be restricting thiols/sulfur or consuming it abundantly. Most of he detox gurus recommend a lot of sulfur to help in glutathione generation, etc. However, Andy Culter and others have stated that excess cysteine reacts negatively with free mercury and causes worse symptoms. This is all very confusing, and I am a very involved patient, but there seem to be a lot of contradictions.
Does an up-regulated CBS pathway lead to high or low cysteine status? There is no longer blood test for cysteine, so a low-thiol/sulfur diet is used to test for sensitivity. After a week, if you feel better, then thiol groups are an issue for you. However, after two months, I do not feel a lot different (not much better or worse... maybe slightly better, but not significantly).
Bottom line - How can I tell if I need more or less cysteine based upon the info above. Yasko's site states the following:
Taurine
Why will the CBS mutation tend to produce higher levels of taurine? One of the roles of the transsulfuration pathway is to generate both glutathione and taurine. If the cell detects a low level of cysteine, it will favor glutathione synthesis. High levels of cysteine lead to taurine synthesis. With a CBS upregulation, more cysteine is generated, shunting the pathway toward taurine formation. Some animal studies indicate that the CBS C699T represents a forty-fold increase in enzyme activity. The CBS A360A is a less active upregulation. It’s not surprising that in those with the CBS mutation it’s common to see low levels of homocysteine, cysteine, or cystathionine, due to the rapid conversion to taurine.
I have highly elevated urinary taurine levels and borderline high blood taurine levels. So, based on all of this can I determine if I have high or low cysteine, and therefore determine the need for thiol avoidance or increased need? Yasko sounds contradictory when she says: "High levels of cysteine lead to taurine synthesis. With a CBS upregulation, more cysteine is generated, shunting the pathway toward taurine formation." And then she ends the paragraph with: "in those with the CBS mutation it’s common to see low levels of homocysteine, cysteine, or cystathionine, due to the rapid conversion to taurine."
So which is it?? Does a CBS/BHMT mutation lead to high Cysteine or low Cysteine or is CBS activity not related to Cysteine levels at all?
Thanks in advance for you help with this.
Ryan