TYMS - how can I compensate for it?

[victoriana]

Hello,

I'm TYMS +/+ (rs502396) and would like to learn more about this so called nasty snp. I've read the following about it: 'TYMS, SHMT and other snps affect the generation of DNA building blocks. Therefore it's necessary to look at FUT2, IgA and others as it relates to the GI tract'.

Thanks,
Victoriana77 in Ontario, Canada

 

[Valentijn]

@victoriana - It's not a particularly nasty SNP, and 16.2% of the general population (and 25% of European cohorts) has the +/+ version of it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18098291 indicates that the effect size (OR) is 0.73 reduced risk of renal cancer for the -/- people. Hence +/+ increases the odds of getting renal cancer by something like 25-30%. Since the odds of getting it are tiny to start with, this is a pretty tiny increase in risk. That paper also has the solution - the association between +/+ and cancer disappears in the group with higher vegetable intake.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448841/ also indicates that the risk of folate-related birth defects in +/+ mothers is only present where the mother also has a low-folate diet.

So ... the additional risk disappears entirely if you eat your veggies and/or supplement folate

 

[victoriana]

@Valentijn - Thanks Valentijn. '23andme' has opened up a whole new world of interest in how to better take care of this machine of mine. Being MTHFR A1298C +/- and a breast cancer survivor I've added B12 plus the right kind of folate, and really upped my veggies, in particular the cruciferous family. Thanks again for your comments.