Brian,
Could you explain more about T4 actively affecting the operation of MTHFR?
My understanding is that T4 is the inactive precursor to the active T3, so I don't understand how T4 affects MTHFR.
Lynn
Lynne,
T4 is not inactive, just less active for most things. This one caught me by surprise too. There is a video (very basic) on the interaction of T4/T3 on MTFR.net - Dr Ben Lynch (at that site) is the expert on this stuff. Research has shown that MTHFR is activated by T4 - to my knowledge why this occurs is not known but Ben is the person to ask. The research on T4 and MTHFR is relatively new and will likely be unknown to your doctor. Most medics have a very limited understanding of the biochemistry going on in cells. If you are taking supplemental T4 then its not likely that you are lacking.
For the last 40 years I've been on either Armour or now Nature-throid. My FT3 is well over the commonly used current range and my T4 is mid-range.
Lynn
Without knowing why your doctor chose Armour I am reluctant to comment on this one. Basically Armour is a mix of T3/T4. There are sometimes reasons to run it higher, but this is one for a fully qualified doctor (my field is the interaction of hormones of cellular chemistry - I am a scientist not a doctor). I would suggest you query this one with him and establish whether you are on the right hormone mix for you.
Also, my Great Plains OAT showed a very low phosphoric level. Could this measure be related to my ability to phosphorylate B-Vitamins?
Phosphrylation referes to Enzymes using ATP to activate B-Vitamins. The more likely cause is low ATP generation (common to all/most people with ME). This is where Ribose, ALCAR, CQ10, Creatine, (maybe) NADH come in. Jacob Titelbaum covered this well in "
Fatigued to Fantasic".
He does not assume you are taking active B Vitamins though (excluding NADH) hence I would start with lower doses than he recommends.
I chatted with Alex: and yes the phosphoric acid matters
a lot it's important that your level of Vitamin D is high enough (often low in ME) the phosphate itself normally come from vegetables - once your Vit D is sorted, I would suggest you chat with your doc, or Alex.
AdeonsylCobalamin (mentioned by Fredd) can also help and may well be needed for other reasons depending upon your SNPs.
I am homozygous MTHFR 1298C, along with having many other MTHFR and folate-impacting snps, but not C677T. I've been on thyroid supplementation for 64 years due to surgical removal at age 2 of a congenital thyroglossal duct cyst.
1289C is about BH4 not B9/Folate
1289C does not affect Methylfolate (B9) production (but your ME might through low ATP). What it does affect is the
alternative pathway for BH4, what that means is that
for you taking very high Methyl-B9 doses will not cause BH4 to be produced.
There are good theoretical grounds for thinking BH4 is low, but as yet no research for PWCs. Supplementing BH4 is expensive unless you have insurance to cover it and your doctor may not be all that co-operative.
A good approach is to take lots of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) it helps both to preserve and to regenerate the BH4 your body is producing. I prefer simple Ascorbic Acid rather than other forms since it needs no processing, but do not take more than 1000mg at once. I take 5000mg a day and find it helps my ME greatly.