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"Genes load the gun and environment pulls the trigger"

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
I know I'm preaching to the choir to some, but this may be helpful information to others. I was reading a transcript of Chris Kresser's about lab testing, and he mentioned the following about methylation:

"I know I’ve talked about this before, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when practitioners just test for genetic mutations and start supplementing people only based on those mutations. That’s because a mutation of a gene does not alone imply dysregulation of that gene. It means there’s probably a greater likelihood that the enzyme that the gene produces won’t function well, but it’s not a guarantee. You can have people with genetic mutations in the methylation pathway but their methylation works perfectly well, and you can have people who have no mutations, or really minor mutations, in the methylation pathway that have serious methylation problems. So genes load the gun and environment pulls the trigger."

"...factors like diet and lifestyle, toxic exposure, et cetera, are far more important in terms of determining methylation status, which is why I always use a functional methylation profile that tests for patients’ actual methylation capacity. That’s with a lab called Health Diagnostics and Research Institute (HDRI). "

Source: http://chriskresser.com/which-lab-tests-are-essential

I've seen people on here doing the HDRI panel, and it seems logical that you would need to combine that with the SNP's to get the full picture versus just going by the SNP.
 
Last edited:

SwanRonson

Senior Member
Messages
300
Location
Alabama
That’s because a mutation of a gene does not alone imply dysregulation of that gene.

I fully agree.

The dietitian for my current NPMD put me on a very low sulfur/ammonia diet because of my CBS hetero mutation. The diet was severely restrictive to the point that I simply couldn't get enough calories daily and I had to add back in some other foods, like eggs and more meat. I was already underweight (142 lbs. / 5'10"), and serum ammonia was never tested. It was just assumed, based on the SNP's. And, because my urinary taurine came back high. She assumed that's where my brain fog was coming from.

After getting a SIBO diagnosis and going through a course of Xifaxan (Rifaximin) treatment, my brain fog never let up. Since Xifaxan is an extremely potent ammonia binder, to the point that it's comparable to Lactulose as a treatment for hepatic encephalopathy, I think I can safely conclude that ammonia is not my problem. But, she was willing to put me on a highly restrictive diet (in the face of being underweight) even so, based on just my genetics alone.

Edit: Btw, I think she's a really, really good dietician. I'm not throwing her under the bus. Just saying that this is a good example of how treating the genetics in isolation is never a great idea. Need the whole picture.
 
Messages
67
Location
New Zealand
My methylation SNPs aren't that bad compared to most people here (see sig), but boy it is amazing what Freddd's protocol has done for me so far. Obviously I've got methylation problems or the protocol wouldn't help when so many other things haven't. It definitely isn't all about the SNPs.

M