Genetic variants (SNPs) Interpretation Guide

[Aerose91]

I use heartfixer as my reference, too.

What supps are you referring to, though? Methylation supps?

 

[caledonia]

I use heartfixer as my reference, too.

What supps are you referring to, though? Methylation supps?

CBS supps for the CBS pathway - different from methylation supps for the methylation cycle, i.e. MTHFR, MTR, MTRR, BHMT.

 

[Aerose91]

Right, Right.

When it says to reduce protein for CBS, I know that includes eggs, too. Does that mean all protein? Is it safe to supplement with a plant based protein powder?

 

[caledonia]

Right, Right.

When it says to reduce protein for CBS, I know that includes eggs, too. Does that mean all protein? Is it safe to supplement with a plant based protein powder?

Actually, you maybe able to get away with just reducing free thiols. It's a much easier diet, and worked for me. I was able to continue eating protein. I have a link to the Free Thiol list in my signature.

 

[Aerose91]

Actually, you maybe able to get away with just reducing free thiols. It's a much easier diet, and worked for me. I was able to continue eating protein. I have a link to the Free Thiol list in my signature.

I grabbed that link the other day and just started it. Hopefully that will do the trick. Thanks!

 

[Peyt]

I just wanted to check in.... I wanted to say that I tested myself for minerals through Dr. Yasko and it showed I had low Lithium(Hair test). That in combination with having the MTR +/- and MTRR++ led to me starting to take Lithium Orotate . Ever since then, all my headaches are gone!.... IMHO, testing for lithium should be in the beginning especially if someone has MTR and MTRR.... All those headache side effects that I used to be told is a part of detox were not a part of detox, my already low Lithium level was dropping even lower and headaches were a side effect... that's why I was suffering... I highly recommend it be added to the top of your guidelines to test lithium so others like me don't have to suffer.

 

[caledonia]

I just wanted to check in.... I wanted to say that I tested myself for minerals through Dr. Yasko and it showed I had low Lithium(Hair test). That in combination with having the MTR +/- and MTRR++ led to me starting to take Lithium Orotate . Ever since then, all my headaches are gone!.... IMHO, testing for lithium should be in the beginning especially if someone has MTR and MTRR.... All those headache side effects that I used to be told is a part of detox were not a part of detox, my already low Lithium level was dropping even lower and headaches were a side effect... that's why I was suffering... I highly recommend it be added to the top of your guidelines to test lithium so others like me don't have to suffer.

That is great news. I do have lithium mentioned in the Roadblocks To Successful Methylation. I'll have to try and figure out the best place(s) for it. Your story will help flesh out that section with more info.

Maybe under the B12 Double Whammy in the SNPs Interpretation Guide and then flesh out the lithium section some more in the Roadblocks document...

 

[Jade east]

Thanks for the guide, very helpful, and thanks for reminding me about niacinamide-- my husbands belching distress is much improved. Re athletes foot--soak in magnesium/Epsom salts, or simply massage in milk of magnesia. Works about 95% of the time. Re stress, depression, anxiety, paranoia, rage--potassium and zinc. (thanks ahmo for your post about these--lead me to more reading.)

 

[Aerose91]

Hey @caledonia May I ask you a question since you seem to be the most well versed in methylation I've seen?

Lately I've heard some remembers talking about how SNP interpretation and yasko protocols are all b.s. That there is little to no merit behind them and certain genes don't control what we are being told they do. Is there merit to this? And if so is it not dispelling basically everything everyone does with methylation?

 

[ahmo]

@Aerose91 I see those comments as well. I no longer respond to them, as I do not have the correct argumentative or analytic skills. But I've done as someone here, maybe caledonia or cirtterina, call Yasko Lite. Following Yasko's advice prepared me to move on to Freddd's Protocol. Altogether my life has been transformed. I followed in relation to not only my CBS gene, but my experience of symptoms relief when I stopped sulfur compounds, and, OTOH, my excitotoxic response many times over when I've tried to add in sulfurous supps. I've used 4 of her RNS formulae, now only use 2 of them, a couple drops 1-2/wk, according to self-testing to ask my body when it wants them.

As far as I can follow these arguments, they focus on certain SNPs not actually being rare. I can't see that this dispells Yasko's findings/understandings. I just heard a nutritionist say today that gluten is bad for Everyone. That's a pretty radical view. But there seems to be every reason to suspect it's true. I'm ranbling now, trying to reinforce that Yasko's protocol is working for many many people. The science is not necessarily keeping pace with what those of us who are using various protocols are finding in our healing journeys. cheers.

 

[caledonia]

Hey @caledonia May I ask you a question since you seem to be the most well versed in methylation I've seen?

Lately I've heard some remembers talking about how SNP interpretation and yasko protocols are all b.s. That there is little to no merit behind them and certain genes don't control what we are being told they do. Is there merit to this? And if so is it not dispelling basically everything everyone does with methylation?

As this is a very new science, there are some aspects which may not have complete explanations, or which are clinical observations, but don't have studies yet. Some people rely only on studies and ignore clinical observations. They get into minutia and if all the aspects don't all exactly fit together, they throw out the baby with the bathwater so to speak.

I take a very practical approach - is it helping me and other people to get better? The short answer is yes.

Personally, I've seen many positive changes -

• healing of candida after many years of having to rely on anti-fungal herbs to keep symptoms at bay
  
• detoxification of mercury
  
• healing of autoimmune thyroiditis after 13 years - I no longer need medicine and all my labs are normal
• improvement of adrenals based on signs and symptoms (I haven't officially retested yet)
  
• improvements in sleep
  
• 5% improvement in energy on Bell's Disability Scale
  
• reduction in PEM severity (kind of hard to quantify but instead of being semi bedridden, it's more like having a low energy day)
  
• significant reduction in MCS
  
• no longer needing numerous "band-aid" supplements like GABA, taurine, 5htp, mito supps and more, indicating improvements in GABA/glutamate balance, neurotransmitters, Kreb's cycle function and more

This has all been done on very tiny amounts of methylation supps. Based on testing, I'm currently detoxing lead, and once that is out, I'll should be able to crank things up more and see even more improvements.

I'm following what I call a "Yasko lite" approach, which is mainly Heartfixer with improvements from Ben Lynch, MTHFRsupport, etc.

The first 4 links in my signature explain this approach.

 

[caledonia]

@Aerose91 As far as I can follow these arguments, they focus on certain SNPs not actually being rare. I can't see that this dispells Yasko's findings/understandings.

People forget that SNPs are only potentials and you also have to look at a functional history of the person. So just because you have a certain SNP doesn't mean it's expressed. It takes the presence of the susceptible genetics PLUS environmental stressors to create methylation disease.

Take MTHFR, for example. Southern Italians have one of the highest rates of MTHFR, but because they live in a non toxic environment, eating local (organic) food and a relaxed lifestyle with lots of family and community, it hardly ever gets expressed.

Take one of these same Italians and plop them into New York City with a fast paced stressful lifestyle, isolation from family and community, toxic chemicals and the horrible standard American diet, and watch all hell break loose...

 

[Valentijn]

As far as I can follow these arguments, they focus on certain SNPs not actually being rare. I can't see that this dispells Yasko's findings/understandings.

Well, claiming that everyone with CBT C699T has a 10x upregulation of the gene is pretty ridiculous, partially because that would be a large segment of the population with a very pathogenic problem if her claims were true. They would have severe and obvious health problems.

But more relevantly, there is scientific research into some of the SNPs which Yasko is making false clams about. C699T +/+ is a mild upregulation which is beneficial and associated with reduced risk of disease. She is contradicting peer-reviewed research, and her basis for doing so is a rather bizarre misreading of a study involving removing half of the entire CBS gene, rather than a single SNP which doesn't even alter the protein which the gene creates.

If you want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and "believe in" Yasko, then fine - just be aware that the science contradicts her, and she has never produced any data or research as a basis for her incorrect claims.

That being said, not all of her claims are incorrect. MTHFR C677T +/+ and MTRR A66G +/+ both result in enzyme activity for the proteins created by the genes being reduced to about 30% of normal. But while this does have an impact, it does NOT cause disease. Again, something like 40% of the general population has one of these mutations, and we don't have 40% of the population keeling over. Why? Because a basic multivitamin, and a diet with a good amount of meats and vegetables completely compensate for the reduced enzyme activity.

In the end, you need to go with the science, not with an "authority". Otherwise you'd might as well call in new age or spiritual healing and attribute any improvements to the deity of your choice. "Treating CBS" is completely meaningless - but that doesn't mean that a diet with less sulfur won't benefit some people. It just means that the benefit of the altered diet has absolutely nothing to do with the Yasko-reported CBS SNPs.

 

[ahmo]

Thanks @Valentijn I appreciate your clarification. Try as I might, my mind cannot take in all the complexities involved. And my recall is useless. I only know of my own positive experiences in following a version of Yasko's protocols. And I know that I'm certainly not the only one to find improvements.

 

[Gondwanaland]

Take MTHFR, for example. Southern Italians have one of the highest rates of MTHFR, but because they live in a non toxic environment, eating local (organic) food and a relaxed lifestyle with lots of family and community, it hardly ever gets expressed.

Take one of these same Italians and plop them into New York City with a fast paced stressful lifestyle, isolation from family and community, toxic chemicals and the horrible standard American diet, and watch all hell break loose...

Yes, I believe epigenetics is key. I am still puzzled by James Gandolfini's death in Italy.

 

[dannybex]

Peyt,

It seems there is a little confusion here. There are two things: "Betaine HCl", which increases stomach acid and no, you can't just take HCl, hydrochloric acid. And "Betaine (anhydrous)" also called trimethylglycine, which is a methyl donor and helps the BHMT cycle to use up homocysteine by turning it into methionine.

But betaine HCL contains betaine anhydrous. There's a lot of conflicting info out there, but I finally got confirmation of sorts from Thorne, a reliable supplement company. Here's my question, and their reply:

"I have a question about your Betaine HCL w/Pepsin product. There is conflicting info online -- where some say that betaine HCL is the same as trimethylglycine (w a chloride molecule added), while others say that betaine HCL is NOT trimethylglycine. I'd like to know if this is considered a methylation supplement like trimethylglycine -- or not?"

And their reply:

"Short answer:

In a sense they are both right. It depends on purpose/intent.


Real answer:

If methylation is the primary objective, I suggest Methyl-Guard (or Methyl-Guard Plus) instead of Betaine HCl with Pepsin.


Explanation:

Methy-Guard was specifically formulated to address methylation support (eg, proper homocysteine metabolism). The betaine use in these formulas is anhydrous (higher concentration of trimethylglycine) versus betaine HCl.

The focus of betaine HCl in the Betaine HCl & Pepsin formula is not the betaine, but rather the HCl it is bound to. In otherwords, when you take Betaine HCl & Pepsin, you take it for the benefits of the HCl - NOT the betaine. This makes sense if your primary concern is addressing digestion issues. Sure, there will still be some benefit from the betaine itself, but it is not as potent as anhydrous betaine."

 

[Peyt]

But betaine HCL contains betaine anhydrous. There's a lot of conflicting info out there, but I finally got confirmation of sorts from Thorne, a reliable supplement company. Here's my question, and their reply:

"I have a question about your Betaine HCL w/Pepsin product. There is conflicting info online -- where some say that betaine HCL is the same as trimethylglycine (w a chloride molecule added), while others say that betaine HCL is NOT trimethylglycine. I'd like to know if this is considered a methylation supplement like trimethylglycine -- or not?"

And their reply:

"Short answer:

In a sense they are both right. It depends on purpose/intent.


Real answer:

If methylation is the primary objective, I suggest Methyl-Guard (or Methyl-Guard Plus) instead of Betaine HCl with Pepsin.


Explanation:

Methy-Guard was specifically formulated to address methylation support (eg, proper homocysteine metabolism). The betaine use in these formulas is anhydrous (higher concentration of trimethylglycine) versus betaine HCl.

The focus of betaine HCl in the Betaine HCl & Pepsin formula is not the betaine, but rather the HCl it is bound to. In otherwords, when you take Betaine HCl & Pepsin, you take it for the benefits of the HCl - NOT the betaine. This makes sense if your primary concern is addressing digestion issues. Sure, there will still be some benefit from the betaine itself, but it is not as potent as anhydrous betaine."

I am interested in the Hydrochloric acid that is in the Betaine HCI for the purpose of improving stomach acidity. Betaine is of no use to me.

 

[dannybex]

I am interested in the Hydrochloric acid that is in the Betaine HCI for the purpose of improving stomach acidity. Betaine is of no use to me.

I am too, but I also wonder if taking too much betaine HCL will also affect methylation interactions...

 

[caledonia]

I am too, but I also wonder if taking too much betaine HCL will also affect methylation interactions...

I've heard of some people reporting that, but that was not an issue for me.

Working on your adrenals, either directly, or via methylation, should also be helpful for raising stomach acid.

 

[Aerose91]

I am too, but I also wonder if taking too much betaine HCL will also affect methylation interactions...

Yes, that happened to me. I was doing a betaine test to see how much I needed and once I got to 4 pills/meal I went off the charts. I didn't sleep for 3 days, went back into psychosis and was in overall really bad shape.

I'm not saying everyone will have those crazy reactions but those are what I deal with regularly, they were just severely increased with too much Betaine HCL