Tag Archives: 5-MTHF

What is the Best B12 for MTHFR Mutants?

The best B12 for MTHFR mutants is… not easy. Just like everything else about being an MTHFR mutant – but the good news is that there is a logical process of discovery that you can go through to find the best B12 for your own brand of mutant-hood.  Also, if you’re a little fuzzy on the MTHFR particulars this is a great place to start for the basics and this article will help you figure out if you’re an MTHFR mutant.

Obviously the Best B12 for MTHFR Mutations is Methyl-B12 (methylcobalamin) Right?

Nope. At least not for everyone.  It makes sense on the surface that if you can’t methylate well then you probably don’t methylate B12 any better than you methylate folate. The problem is that nothing about methylation issues is “on the surface.” Let’s look at a diagram from Dr. Amy Yasko’s awesome website, which focuses on MTHFR mutations and autism,  to help to understand this further:

Awesome (and kind of intense) view of that methylation cycle that helps to show the best B12 for MTHFR mutants from Dramyyasko.com

Awesome (and kind of intense) view of that methylation cycle that helps to show what B12 is best for MTHFR mutants from Dramyyasko.com

Just to clarify, what you’re looking at is a huge, complex, multi-step chemical reaction. Each of the green arrows signifies a vitamin or co-factor that is important for that step of the reaction.  The boxes are particular genes that also influence that step of the reaction. You’ll notice the MTHFR gene that we all know and love at the bottom left of the diagram. You’ll also probably notice that the whole picture is so much bigger than just those two genes (eek!).




The big green arrow for B12 comes straight down between the two big wheels of the methylation cycle.  There are two genes that can change that step of the process, which are called MTR and MTRR. Both MTR and MTRR genes code for enzymes that convert homocysteine to methionine. Both of these enzymes need methyl-B12 to work and your body especially needs B12 support if you have the MTR or MTRR mutations. So, in theory, the best B12 for MTHFR mutants should be methyl, and this is a great place to start but sometimes clinically this doesn’t pan out. Often clinically hydroxycobalamin, which is a slower-release, longer-acting form does much better.

Methylcobalamin, or methyl-B12, is still the best first choice. It makes the most logical sense, it’s the most rapidly active form and it’s already methylated so your body doesn’t have to convert it to anything for it to work.  It’s also the most rapidly acting (and therefore rapidly broken down form) and because of this some people with MTHFR mutations have problems with it. Especially the MTHFR mutants who have severe side-effects from taking 5-MTHF. If you’re not sure if that’s you then read more here.

Signs Hydroxycobalamin (hydroxy-B12) Could Be Better For You:

  • You take methyl-B12 and don’t notice any difference in energy level, mood or really anything else.
  • You have the MTR or MTRR mutations but don’t respond to methyl B12.
  • You have started slowly taking methylfolate but quickly started having side effects.
  • Your blood levels of B12 show up too high, but you still have symptoms of B12 deficiency.
  • Even taking a good dose of methylfolate and methylcobalamin your homocysteine levels don’t come down.
  • You take methyl-B12 and kind of start to freak out.
  • You’re taking good methyl-folate, other good B-vitamin support, and you don’t feel better at all, or feel worse.
  • You take methyl-B12 and on blood tests you still show up B12 deficient.
  • You also have the COMT or MAO mutations,  that change the way some of your neurotransmitters are broken down.

The bottom line is that if you start a good protocol with methylfolate and methyl B12 and don’t feel any better, or feel worse then either you started with too high a dose, or hydroxycobalamin (hydroxy B12) would be a better choice than methyl B12.

The Benefits of Hydroxycobalamin or Hydroxy B12

  • Hydroxycobalamin is used more slowly by your body and so can help to maintain steadier levels of B12
  • It helps prevent methylfolate from forming too much nitric oxide in your body, which helps to reduce side effects of 5-MTHF.
  • It easily converts to methyl B12
  • It helps reduce cyanide in the body (totally unrelated, but it’s a bonus!)

So does this mean hydroxycobalamin is the best B12 for MTHFR mutants? Well – no. The best B12 for MTHFR mutants is always unique to that particular person. It means that your total picture determines what’s best for you.  The logical place to start is with a methyl B12, but if that isn’t giving you the results you want or if you’re having a lot of side effects from the mthylfolate you’re taking then try switching to a hydroxycobalamin form. For many of you it will help to get you feeling energetic and happy and all the things we should feel every day.



The best dose of methylfolate for MTHFR mutants

MTHFR mutation is a huge factor in physical and mental health but we’re still learning the basics because it’s all very new research so the best dose of methylfolate for MTHFR mutants isn’t really a straight answer.  The good news is there are lots of ways to read your body and to learn the best dose of methylfolate for YOU. If you’re a little fuzzy on this whole MTHFR thing, then check out this post on the MTHFR basics.  This will give you a good framework for the whole conversation – also if you suspect you have the mutation, read more about how to know you’re a mutant here. If you, like me, already know that you’re a mutant then let’s tackle the hard problem of finding the best way to compensate for your body.  Finding the right dose of methylfolate can help to reduce anxiety and depression, stabilize mood, boost fertility, protect your heart and cardiovascular system and generally keep your body at peak performance so it’s important to take some time and do this the right way.

Finding the Best Dose of Methylfolate is a Process of Trial and Error

I wish there was just one answer – this is the right dose, but sadly it all comes down to what is the right dose for your body.  First off, I never suggest taking methylfolate by itself without any other B vitamins.  The B vitamins all have overlapping functions and so it’s important to have decent doses of all of them.  Typically though I start clients with a B complex that has a reasonably low dose of methylfolate – like maybe 400 mcg.  I really like the one from Pure Encapsulations called B Complex Plus. It’s basic, simple, and most people – even hard core mutants – tolerate it pretty well, but I’m not married to it. Any good multi-B with a low-dose methylfolate will do or you can look for a multivitamin that has methylfolate in it like Thorne Research Basic Nutrients.  Occasionally even this low dose creates a bad reaction – if that happens then we’ll have to start with a low dose MTHF by itself and split the capsule apart but this is the option of last resort. First, let’s try the low dose B complex or multivitamin and see what happens.




Keep in mind the first three days of any MTHF might be difficult and there may be some adjustments. You may  notice that you’re a little agitated, or anxious, or depressed or just feel a little spacy or off. With any luck that should pass pretty quickly and we’ll wait for things to stabilize before increasing the dose.

If the Low- MTHF  B Complex or Multi Works for You

Great! We’re on the right track.  Even if this is the right dose for you there might be a few odd adjustment days in the beginning – that is totally normal.  Just wait until everything settles down and see how you’re feeling.  Typically with this low dose people may notice a small spike in energy or a little boost to mood, but often it isn’t enough methylfolate to start to touch the issues – that’s okay because it’s enough to get the ball rolling.  The next step would be to add a 1 mg (1000 mcg) MTHF by itself to the B complex you’re already taking. We’re looking to make forward progress without rocking the boat too much.  Each time you increase the dose there may be another adjustment reaction as your body gets used to things, so try to stick it out for 3 days before you make a final judgement about it.

If the Low-MTHF B Complex or Multi DOESN’T Work for You

Then we switch to plan B.  Plan B is a little messier and more tedious, but it could make all the difference for how you’re feeling on a day-to-day basis.  Start with a 1mg MTHF – I prefer a capsule so that you can just open it and portion out the powder (instead of trying to cut or crush a tablet). In this situation start with 1/4 of the capsule – easiest is mixing it with some peanut butter, applesauce or yogurt and taking it that way.  It tastes pretty gross, but hopefully you can hide it in something. Again count on about 3 days of adjustment, but we’re starting with very low doses here so hopefully that will be fine and if it’s still too much then you can cut it down even further. Once you get to the dose you can tolerate, keep it there for a couple of weeks and try to slowly increase.  By now your body has started to process some of the back-log of work so it might be easier to tolerate a bigger dose. Now would be a great time to try going to the B complex with MTHF or multi with MTHF because you do still need all those other B vitamins.

What to Do If You Can’t Tolerate ANY MTHF?

Yup – I’ve seen clients like this. They take the tiniest amount and spiral into depression or anxiety attacks or start to feel itchy. Not fun at all!  In this situation it’s tiny-dose niacin to the rescue.  For whatever reason taking about 10-50 mg of niacin  – this is usually 1/10th or even less of a 500 mg niacin tablet.  It’s a tiny dose, but for many people it really helps to ease the transition into MTHF.  Start again with a small dose from the opened MTHF capsule (maybe 1/4) and add a tiny shaving off the niacin capsule and see how you do.  The niacin seems to buffer things a big so that the MTHF is a little bit easier to tolerate – again it’s about helping your body to do some of the work that has piled up in the absence of activated B vitamins. If niacin doesn’t help then sometimes hydroxycobalamin will.  This is a little bit mysterious because you’d think it would be methylcobalamin (the methylated form of B12 which MTHFR mutants also have a hard time making).  Oddly, the hydroxycobalamin form seems to be the most helpful when you’re starting MTHF dosing and when niacin doesn’t take the edge off, a lot of times hydroxycobalamin will.  Do you see what I mean about trial and error?




Methylation, it's complicated. The best dose of methylfolate is out there for you - you just have to find it. Thanks to flickr user Franklin Park Library for the image.

Methylation, it’s complicated. The best dose of methylfolate is out there for you – you just have to find it. Thanks to flickr user Franklin Park Library for the image.

How Do I Know I Found The BEST Dose of Methylfolate?

We are doing all of this to help you feel better as a whole human.  Methylating your B vitamins or taking methylfolate is supposed to help boost your energy, stabilize and elevate your mood, help your body with detox reactions and reduce a wide variety of symptoms over time.  So how do you know you’re’ at the perfect dose for you?  Well – you should feel better.  Keep in mind the prescription methylfolate comes in 7 mg and 15 mg doses (deplan).  Those are a whole lot bigger than the doses we’re starting with above so when you find a good starting dose for yourself then stay there for a couple of weeks.  If you’re feeling fine and stable but not a lot of improvement then try a higher dose and see how you feel with that. For everyone there is a sweet spot where they feel better and more energetic, but not anxious or wound up.  Keep in mind every time you increase dose those first 2-3 days may be a little bit odd.  Don’t judge by those days.

Things to Remember:

  • You need all the B vitamins, not just methylfolate so don’t leave those out of the mix. A good methylated multi or methylated B complex is a great foundation to start with.
  • Methylation affects neurotransmitter formation, inflammation and detoxification so lots of random symptoms can pop up when you increase the dose. Give it a few days before you make judgements.
  • Increasing doses slowly is easier for your body to tolerate than just dumping a high dose in all at once.
  • Tiny doses of niacin can help smooth out the transition.
  • Hydroxycobalamine, a form of B12, can also help to make taking MTHF a little easier.
  • Every body is different so the best dose of methylfolate for you could be completely different from the perfect dose for someone else.
  • Every MTHFR mutant has mutations in different spots and combinations plus a whole host of other genetics to deal with. Don’t get discouraged – there is always a perfect solution, you just have to find it. Generally though the more mutations you have the longer it might take to find the right balance.
  • Methyl donors like Trimethylglycine (TMG)  which is also called betaine anhydrous can also support this process by donating methyl groups for your newly-functioning methylation pathways to use.
  • Riboflavin-5-phosphate also supports methylation and homocysteine metabolism (which tends to build up if you’re not a great methylator) so sometimes a small dose of this will help things out as well. It should be in a good B complex.
  • It’s important to avoid sources of folic acid (which there are many – think all of the “enriched” grain products like cereals, breads, pasta) including multivitamins with folic acid or vitamin-enhanced foods. Plain old folic acid will compete with the methylfolate you’re taking and make it harder for those pathways to work.

Specialty Methylation Products

There are a few great methylation products out there that have a combo of supportive ingredients.  One of my favorite is Methyl-Guard Plus by Thorne Research, which combines a reasonably high dose methylfolate with methyl-B12, TMG and riboflavin-5-phosphate.  It can be a high dose to start with though, so especially if you have a few mutant genes it’s a good idea to start with the lower dose products and work your way up. There is no sense shocking your body. Too high a dose can cause as many problems as too low a dose so it’s important to find your sweet spot.

The bottom line is that this is no different from any other aspect of health. You need to find the right thing for YOUR body and there is no one size fits all.  The best dose of methylfolate for you is out there – you can find it.  I feel like the biggest thing is to ease your way into it and not over-flood your body. Start slow and work your way up – better to get there slowly than to give up because you felt so bad when you tried the high dose.



All possible variations of MTHFR gene combinations.

Understanding the MTHFR Mutation Basics

I’m amazed at how many people are coming into my office with MTHFR mutations, and also at how difficult it can be to actually understand the MTHFR mutation basics. So let’s start from the beginning and go from there.

What is MTHFR? Why Do I Keep Hearing About It?

MTHFR, just to be confusing, is the name of both a gene and the enzyme which that gene helps your body to make. We call it MTHFR because the actual name, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, is just ridiculously long and cumbersome. This enzyme helps your body to methylate. If your genes have a mutation it means that the enzyme they’re supposed to make turns out just a little bit wrong.  You still make the enzyme it just isn’t exactly the right shape and so it works differently from normal. It’s become kind of a buzzword these days simply because we’re discovering that it is more common than we thought and if you happen to be a mutant (like I am) then you may be at greater risk for a number of health problems. We’ll get to those in a second.




What Does the MTHFR Enzyme Do?

The short answer is that this enzyme methylates. Since the short answer sounds like something nobody cares about, let’s also talk about a long answer.  Methylation means that you add a “methyl group” which is essentially a carbon bonded to three hydrogen that looks, appropriately, like mutant mickey mouse ears. This sounds highly anticlimactic, but actually helps your body to do almost everything, like replicating and using your DNA, activating your B vitamins, detoxifying toxic substances and a whole host of other things.

What Are The Possible MTHFR Mutations?

There are TWO MTHFR genes, the MTHFR-C gene and the MTHFR-A gene and you have two copies of each of these (one from your mother and one from your father). This means there is a whole variety of ways that things could go wrong… Let’s look at those here:

ossible good and bad copies of the MTHFR gene

Possible good and bad copies of the MTHFR gene

This means that there are two genes, each with two copies and you could have good or bad copies of one or both… So:

All possible variations of MTHFR gene combinations.

All possible variations of MTHFR gene combinations.

The basic rule is that the more bad copies of the gene you have, the more likely you are to have negative health effects from those genes. The good news is the more bad copies of the gene you have, the more benefit you can get out of working to improve your body’s methylation ability.




Can I Fix a MTHFR Gene Mutation?

Yes and no. You are born with a set of genes and you’ll die with the same set – nothing can change your genes.  That sounds like bad news, but the good news is that we can get around a slow enzyme pathway – usually by supplementing the methylated form of B vitamins (so that it doesn’t matter if your genes can’t convert them) and also methyl donors. MTHFR mutation can make your life miserable, but if you learn to deal with it correctly it can also be overcome.

Poor methylation is becoming a common topic in medicine simply because we’re realizing how common these mutations really are and how great an impact on health they have.  Learn more about some of the conditions caused by this mutation here, and about some of the problems you can run into taking methylated B vitamins here.  There is so much more to this story, but at least we’ve covered the MTHFR mutation basics here. If you suspect a problem, get tested and talk with a doctor who knows about it because that will be the quickest path forward.



Methylfolate Side Effects: MTHFR problems

We’ve talked about the MTHFR mutant problem before (right here) but haven’t really addressed the actual taking of methylfolate.  Folate sounds so benign, so harmless but sadly there can be methylfolate side effects. 5-MTHF fallout, if you will. We mutants are out there, walking among you unable to convert regular old folic acid into methylfolate, or 5-MTHF for short.  I will stand with pride among you my brothers and sisters because yes, I too am a mutant.  Deep shuddering sigh.  As it turns out, using gene markers alone to plan a healthy nutritional protocol is not as straightforward as it would seem.  The reason being that every system in the human body has a glorious level of redundancy – we are literally designed to fail in eight thousand ways and still function normally.




Simply having the MTHFR mutation doesn’t actually mean that high-dose methylfolate like Deplin® which is prescribed in either 7.5 mg or 15 mg doses is a good idea.  The reason for this is that your body has literally hundreds of overlapping systems that are involved in every function that is even remotely related to the ways you use folate in the body. These overlapping systems and layers of function help our body to function normally even with multiple mutations that may result in genuinely low levels of 5-MTHF. Obviously that’s awesome when you don’t have methylfolate, but it can be a little overwhelming when all of a sudden you have a ton of it.

methylfolate side effects can happen even with a great product like this 5-MTHF

5-MTHF – One of my favorite methylfolate supplements, but there can still be methylfolate side effects.

Picture flooding your system with methylfolate when there has been relatively little (and when your body has been functioning reasonably normally with relatively little). Your cup literally runneth over. In some cases, your body has been starving and so it’s a welcome relief like rain in the desert – all functions get better and you’re ridiculously glad to have some resources to work with.  In other cases the flood of 5-MTHF is literally a flood and you’re stuck trying to clean up the mess.

Methylfolate Side Effects:

  • Mood changes: depression, irritability, severe anxiety
  • Pain: sore muscles, joint aches, headaches, migraines
  • Physical Symptoms: rash, acne, heart palpitations, nausea, insomnia

You will notice that some of these side effects are exactly the symptoms we’re looking to fix by taking the methylfolate, which seems a little ironic and inconvenient.  Such is the way of medicine, no? Like the drug you take for constipation that may cause constipation.  Thankfully here the benefits far outweigh the risks, you just have to know how to do it right.  Remember that methylfolate is something your body actually needs, so it’s important to find a way to take it well.

Avoiding Methylfolate Side Effects:

    • Start slow:  Some people with the MTHFR mutation have no trouble taking methylfolate and feel a world of difference from it.  For the rest of us it’s a little too much, a little too quickly.  If that is you then backing the dose way down to what might be in a good multivitamin (400 – 800 mcg) is a great way to start.  From there you can slowly adjust your dose to find your own optimal dosage level.
    • Personalize: When we’re talking about your genes it really is all about YOU.  Just because something works for lots of people with the MTHFR mutation doesn’t mean it will work for you, so above all trust your body and your symptoms.  If you’re having a problem doing something one way (even though that way works for your doctor or your neighbor or everyone else on a forum) trust that and change your strategy.
    • Pulse Your Dose: For some people it helps to have some days on and some days off, meaning to take methylfolate at whatever dose your body can tolerate for some days but not others.  For my body personally the best strategy I’ve found so far is taking lower doses five days per week and taking weekends off (convenient too!) For some of my clients it’s a week on/week off plan at a higher dose.  This really does come down to experimenting with your body to find what is right for you.
    • Expect Some Adjustment: Remember that your body has been compensating for all of your mutations for as long as you’ve been alive so suddenly changing the entire playing field is bound to create a few waves.  Before you make a snap judgement about what works for you and what doesn’t give things a few days to calm down. Your body will constantly astound you with it’s flexibility, it’s adaptability and it’s ability to cope with ridiculously huge changes but even your miraculous body may take a couple of days.
    • Niacin to the rescue: 50 – 100 mg of time-release niacin can be incredibly helpful to counteract some of the side effects of methylfolate if an alternative dosing plan isn’t enough to make you feel awesome. Niacin helps your body to use excessive SAM (S-adenylmethionine) which can build up in some people taking methylfolate. It’s important to also experiment with your dosing to find the right level of niacin for you, and in larger doses niacin, even in it’s time-release form, can cause flushing.




  • Antiinflammatories: Some of the problem is just basically that your body was probably inflamed going into the methylfolate therapy and changing your protocol can stir everything up.  Also by taking 5-MTHF you are allowing your body to start to catch up on detoxification and repair, which can also increase your level of inflammation while everything is being sorted out. Good strong natural anti-inflammatories can help to decrease symptoms and help your body to adjust, especially while you’re finding your optimal dosage. A lipid-soluble form of curcumin (from turmeric) like Meriva® can make your life far easier.  Other great natural anti-inflammatories include fish oils, green tea, pycnogenol, boswellia, resveratrol and cat’s claw. Following an anti-inflammatory diet is tremendously helpful as well.
  • Hydroxycobalamin: In an odd twist this non-methylated form of vitamin B12 can help to control some of the side effects of 5-MTHF as well.  One of the benefits of taking methylfolate is that it increases your levels of nitric oxide, which is the signal that helps your blood vessels dilate.  Which is exactly why it helps with cardiovascular risk and headaches and lots of the other things it helps with.  Like with everything else in life, too much of a good thing is sometimes a really bad thing.  So if your nitric oxide levels end up becoming too high then your body starts to make free radicals, and those free radicals create side effects.  Hydroxycobalamin can help you to counter this effect. Again, experiment with your dosing.

Remember that if you have MTHFR mutations then your body will function better on so many levels by getting the methylfolate that you’ve literally been starving for, so it’s worth it to find the right dose and the right way of taking methylfolate for you.  This can save you from heart disease, stroke, heart attack, periodontal disease, anxiety, insomnia, depression, mood disorders, reproductive problems, even birth defects in your children. Just because you have methylfolate side effects doesn’t mean your body doesn’t need it, so keep trying to find the way that works for you.



MTHFR mutation, or How to Know if You’re a Mutant.

So, everyone kind of freaks out when I use a word like mutant because it sounds so sci-fi and X-men-ish but the MTHFR mutation doesn’t give us anything nearly so exotic as superpowers, more like just more of the usual problems. The thing is, we’re all mutants in one form or another. We all have a tremendous degree of genetic variability that gives us the amazing and awesome diversity of looks, personalities, traits and oddities that make us human. These mutations, or genetic variances, can make our enzyme processes work differently; meaning more slowly, more quickly or not at all. This is why some people are still doing great after five cocktails and others are bleary-eyed and drooling.

MTHFR gene mutations. Here portrayed, wildly inaccurately, as mutant carrots.

Behold the mutant carrots. Muah hah ha… Don’t worry, MTHFR mutations aren’t quite this funky.  Thanks to simply-sharon.com for the great photo.

For the most part, genetic variance creates relatively small changes because there are so many overlapping systems in the body. It’s all part of the great mystery – our bodies are designed with a plan A, plan B, plan C and probably the back-up super-secret plan X just to make sure everything goes right.  There are, of course, a few places where no matter how many overlapping systems we have, our bodies can’t compensate for how many little things have gone wrong.

One of the places this can happen is in the various genes for a process called “Methylation.”  Methylation, as you might have deduced, is the process where your body adds a -methyl group to some other molecule to help it become more active.  One of the most important places this happens is in the gene that methylates folate (the B vitamin) into it’s active form.  This group of genes are called “methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase,” or MTHFR for short. If you have too many genetic variances in these genes then you may not be able to activate your folic acid or other B vitamins.

MTHFR Mutation Problems Include:

  • High homocysteine levels in your blood and urine – this increases your risk for heart disease including high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
  • Increased risk of neural tube defects and preeclampsia if you become pregnant.  Neural tube is your baby’s brain and spinal cord so it isn’t generally an area you want to be defective.
  • Improper neurotransmitter production – this can lead to depression, anxiety, mood disorders and complex psychiatric illness.
  • Increased risk for the eye disorder glaucoma.




So – none of these complications are good things.  Generally they’re not issues you want to be dealing with in your life and certainly not a combination of them (bad enough to be depressed, but to be depressed with heart disease sounds worse). This leads to two questions, which naturally I will endeavor to answer for you.

Who Should Test for MTHFR?

MTHFR has a lot of variability and different people notice it in different ways. Usually I suggest testing for people who have had anxiety or depression since childhood, for people who have parents, siblings, children or themselves with spinal cord defects that might be related, or for people who have anxiety, depression or mood disorders “in the family.” This being a genetic mutation we usually see it show up in parents, aunts and uncles, siblings and children so if many people in the family are struggling then it’s time to look at your genes. Also if your homocysteine tests high at your doctors office even if you’re taking B vitamins then there’s a good chance there’s a problem.

How Do I know If I’m a MTHFR Mutant?

Great question! The best way to know, is to test. Your doctor can run a complete genetic analysis which will give you all of this information and is by far the best option if you have insurance.  This would also mean you could get a prescription methylfolate to help your body compensate.  If you don’t have insurance then there’s a great not-too-expensive way to do it at home, which comes with the added bonus of learning just how much neanderthal you have in you (I’m 3%!!!).  It’s called 23 and Me, and it’s an at-home saliva DNA test kit that gives you all kinds of great information about yourself like your neanderthal percentage, your ancestry, and also more serious things like your disease risk, certain gene markers for serious disease and also genetic differences that may cause you to react differently to certain drugs or chemicals.  All in all it’s pretty nifty.

Once you get your DNA info from 23 and Me, then you can plug it into the neatest service ever, which is donation based, called Genetic Genie.  Genetic Genie can run a full methylation analysis (for a suggested donation of $10).  I can tell you from looking at mine that this gives you an overwhelming amount of info and lots and lots of great ways to compensate for any genetic oddities you might find.

What Do I Do if I Have A MTHFR Mutation?

The short version is don’t worry, and take a methylated B vitamin.  This means the folic acid should be methyl-folate or some variation thereof, including L-5-Methyltetradydrofolate, L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolinic Acid, or 6(S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (the longer the word, the better apparently).  The B12 should be Methylcobalamin, and you may see something extra in there to just add extra methyl groups like trimethylglycine or betaine anhydrous.  Also, you should NOT take regular folic acid or anything that isn’t a methylated folate, simply because all of those will compete with the methylated folates and just continue the problem.  It isn’t always this simple because there are additional mutations that can interfere as well so some people have side effects when they take methylfolate, which you can read about here. If you find out you have an MTHFR mutation it’s not the end of the world, there is plenty we can do. It’s a good idea to check your kiddos too, or just switch them over to the methyl forms of B vitamins, and also if you have other genetic relatives who are struggling to pass on the good word about methylated B vitamins and your own new super-mutant status.