Very Low Homocysteine and CBS Mutations.

[Ema]

Can anyone help me find the rs numbers for these mutations?

• CBS C699T - rs234706
• CBS A360A
• CBS N212N

Thank you!

 

[Valentijn]

Can anyone help me find the rs numbers for these mutations?

• CBS C699T - rs234706
• CBS A360A
• CBS N212N

rs1801181 - A360A
rs2298758 - N212N

Based on my notes, there's no research supporting that either has an impact, and there's research showing that A360A doesn't have any impact on homocysteine levels.

 

[Ema]

OK, thanks @Valentijn.

So any ideas about where to look for issues with sulfur metabolism leading to very low homocysteine levels?

I'm trying to figure out if I'm shooting myself in the foot by taking in too many methyl groups and also if Epsom salt baths are actually a problem.

 

[Valentijn]

So any ideas about where to look for issues with sulfur metabolism leading to very low homocysteine levels?

http://cellfatigue.blogspot.nl/2010/07/methylation-pathway-regulation.html lists some factors which can upregulate CBS, but doesn't discuss sulfur specifically.

 

[roxie60]

I also have low homocysteine (something to be grateful for) but sometimes wonder if this body starts working if whatever is keeping it low will change. I dont worry about it I just wonder about it.

 

[Ema]

I don't think that very low homocysteine is any better than too high, @roxie60. It seems like there is a fairly narrow window of optimal (typically between about 6-9) and anything outside that range may indicate things are not working the way that they should.

Here is an essay I found:

http://www.metametrix.com/files/learning-center/articles/hypohomocysteinemia.pdf

So @Valentijn, are you saying that the CBS mutations don't affect homocysteine in the way the Yasko proposes? Or that you don't believe that homocysteine upregulation occurs at all?

Does anyone know how to help increase homocysteine levels?

Thanks!
Ema

 

[Valentijn]

So @Valentijn, are you saying that the CBS mutations don't affect homocysteine in the way the Yasko proposes? Or that you don't believe that homocysteine upregulation occurs at all?

There's 0 evidence supporting her claims of upregulation from CBS SNPs ever being anywhere near high enough to be harmful, and a fair bit contradicting it.

However, research shows that the gene can be upregulated by external factors. I don't know to what extent, so I suppose it's possible that that upregulation might be excessive in some cases.

 

[Valentijn]

Does anyone know how to help increase homocysteine levels?

Cut back on B vitamins (B6, B12, folate) , drink coffee , do endurance exercise , become male , and get older ... that's the easy stuff to find.

The link I posted above suggests that vitamin D, oxidants, and glucocorticoids can speed up CBS, hence might lower homocysteine, in which case avoiding those substances might help. And CBS can be slowed down by peroxynitrite, insulin, and testosterone, which might raise homocysteine.

 

[Kimsie]

Have you tried taking methionine?

 

[Ema]

Have you tried taking methionine?

No, because I did try SAMe and I didn't have any great luck with it. I wonder if methionine would work better for me?

 

[Valentijn]

No, because I did try SAMe and I didn't have any great luck with it. I wonder if methionine would work better for me?

That might work actually. Methionine supplementation should down-regulate the conversion of homocysteine into methionine., which could result in homocysteine levels rising.

 

[Ema]

Thanks! I will order up a bottle. I wonder how much of it I might need? The capsules come as 500 mg.

 

[Kimsie]

Be sure not to take too much. This is not the kind of thing you can take 10 grams of. You could probably take 2-3 grams a day for a while and then check to see what is happening before decided if you need more or less. If someone tells you your breath is smelling strange, then you are taking too much.

I have to say that I don't think there is much difference between taking SAMe and methionine, except that with SAMe it is so expensive that you can't take very much, and with methionine it is cheap so you have to be careful not to overdo it. They are both just substrates for the methionine cycle, really.

 

[Critterina]

Have you tried taking methionine?

I've tried taking methionine, but that was because my methionine was low. I was prescribed 1500 mg/day. My homocysteine was in the bottom 20% of the normal range.

Another change was made at the same time, and that was NAC. Of course, being histamine intolerant but not knowing it, the NAC was terrible. I thought it was both the Me and and NAC, or sulfur in general. Later, when I tried only Me, I was fine.

However, I read something about rats not living as long when you gave them Me - I don't think there were enough parallels between the study (they may have had other conditions like malnutrition or something) and me to really worry, but I decide to switch to SAMe, and my NP supported it. She said 400mg, so that's what I've done. I have a lot of the ATP5c mutations, so I maybe don't want to waste ATP on converting methionine to SAMe. But then, I don't want to waste money, so maybe I'll go back to Me.

I also added TMG, to recycle homocysteine to Me, since my BHMT-08 was +/+, but that lowers homocysteine, so maybe you don't want to do that if your homocysteine is below low-normal.