MTHFR and Folic Acid Toxicity | The Hidden Side Effects

MTHFR and Folic Acid Toxicity

You may have been shocked and said, what! Hidden side effects of folic acid! Yeah, you heard right. Although you do not hear about this thing, it doesn’t mean that it is not there. MTHFR and folic acid side effects are the main concerns of many health problems. People rarely talk about these hidden side effects because there are not enough studies conducted, and one has to dig very deep to explore them.

MTHFR and Folic acid: A brief intro 

MTHFR is an enzyme found in our bodies that is responsible for maintaining the cycle of methylation. MTHFR enzyme is supported by the MTHFR gene to do so.  

Folic acid is the inactive form of vitamin-B9 that is converted by the MTHFR enzyme into its active form known as methyl folate. 

This conversion is very critical because the upcoming reactions in methylation rely on this conversion for their occurrence. 

MTHFR and Folic Acid: the real problem 

There has been an explosion of MTHFR testing worldwide, and there are many problems that have been linked to the MTHFR variants. 

• Infertility
• Recurrent miscarriages 
• Birth defects 
• Cardiovascular diseases 

The increase in the above conditions is not the consequence of the MTHFR variants because the variants of this gene have been present for centuries. 

It is because of the influence of the environment on the expression of the MTHFR. MTHFR doesn’t have enough capacity to meet the load nowadays. One of the main factors that act as a burden for MTHFR is folic acid. 

How did processed food pave the way for folic acid? 

We have been getting folate in natural forms by consuming fresh plants in steamed, baked, dried, and salads forms. Our bodies were taking in folate in the same form offered by plants. Folate is found especially in green leafy plants. 

Folate provides one of the most vital compounds for the biochemistry of our body, known as the methyl group. 

With the beginning of the industrialized era, the intake of these nutrients has changed. Mass production was started by businesses instead of producing fresh pieces of bread baked daily. The main problem with mass production was shelf life. The outer parts of grains were stripped off and milled to extend the shelf life of the bread. 

In this way, the shelf life got increased, and so did the production and profits, but on the other hand, it led to the onset of birth defects and many other health-related problems as well. 

We could also say that this mass production was not just paving the way for just folic acid but the whole upcoming storm of health problems linked with MTHFR and folic acid. 

How did folic acid emerge? 

There was a big deficiency of folate in the processed foods, which was causing different medical issues. Instead of going back to the traditional way of fresh food intake to meet the need for folate, they preferred to come up with the synthetic nutrient called folic acid. This creation was the beginning of the problems we are facing related to the MTHFR and folic acid. 

To make it available in the market as soon as possible, folic acid was tested on the rats only. But the rats have a highly effective mechanism of converting folic acid into dihydrofolate, which is a better bioavailable form of folate. And we are not giving it to rats, but humans. 

Though it has been observed that folic acid has played a role in reducing some occurrences of birth defects, its overall performance is unsatisfactory because we are coming to know recently that it is causing harm to our bodies. 

Lack of methyl group 

Folic acid is not the same as folate. Although it looks similar, it lacks the fundamental biochemical compound of the body – a methyl group. 

For the conversion of folic acid into methylated folate, three things are required. 

1. Multiple functional genes → that produce → 
2. Functional enzymes → require →  
3. Appropriate cofactors

Moreover, the functional enzymes require an environment free of compounds like heavy metals, cytokines, and medicines. These compounds interfere with the functionality of enzymes by limiting their capacity. Rats can efficiently convert folic acid into a much better bioavailable form (dihydrofolate), but humans cannot. 

Humans who have a functional DHFR gene can take 200 mcg, but those who have DHFR variants have folic acid even less effective in them. Hence, the assumption that if rats can convert folic acid into dihydrofolate, we also can be wrong. 

Unmetabolized folic acid is destructive 

The extra folic acid that cannot be converted gets accumulated, and we refer to it as unmetabolized folic acid. The unmetabolized folic acid is destructive and causes harm in many ways. 

It contributes to the deficiency of vitamin B12 and pseudo MTHFR. The folate receptors and transport proteins attach folic acid above the more reduced active folate. It provides physiological benefits only when it is converted into dihydrofolate. They all lead to functional folate deficiency. 

The absence of folic acid is much better for folate because, in the absence of folic acid, the folate can freely attach to folate receptors and proteins. It can also help recover the deficiency of vitamin B12 and elevated folate cellular levels. 

What you can do to optimize your folate levels

• Take whole foods (contain natural folate)
• Avoid processed (contain synthetic folic acid)
• Eat organ meat (i.e., liver)

TRS can also help 

We have discussed above the connection between MTHFR and folic acid that both are involved in methylation. When folic acid is consumed, the process is less efficient because it requires additional steps to carry out. 

The functional enzymes cannot work efficiently due to certain compounds like heavy metals, cyanides, and medicines in the environment. These compounds interfere with the activity of functional enzymes and delay the whole process. 

TRS can do wonders when it comes to removing such kinds of toxins. Upon removal of toxins, it will become a bit easy for the body to utilize folic acid, and the process will become a bit more efficient. 

Learn more about MTHFR

C677T

        Heterozygous: reduction up to 40% in the production of MTHF

        Homozygous: reduction up to 75% in the production of MTHF

A1298C

        Heterozygous: reduction up to 20% in the production of MTHFR

        Homozygous: reduction up to 40% in the production of MTHFR

 Compound Heterozygous (677/1298)

         Up to 50-60% reduction in MTHFR production

Heavy metal toxicity and MTHFR deficiency syptoms

We know that gene mutation of the MTHFR leads to spoiling the methylation, but the heavy metals also play their part in doing so.

As we have discussed earlier that for the body to function properly, methylation is mandatory. With no methylation or poor methylation, an individual will suffer from a lot of physiological and emotional problems.

Heavy metals from outside the environment enter the body, and then the body treats them like stressors. Things like water, food, and air that we take into our bodies and are necessary for survival contain these heavy toxic metals.

Methylation is always there to tackle such toxic metals, but when an individual inherits mutated genes, the efficiency of the enzymes decreases significantly, and now the methylation will be of poor quality. 

To make it very simple for you so that you understand it easily, let’s look at the following example.

Consider a motorway having five lanes. When you have no inherent mutant genes from your parents, your 5 lanes are free to control the traffic load. But, if you inherit one copy of the altered gene (+/-), then consider that now you are left with only 3 lanes. The motorway will now face the significant burden of traffic. However, if you inherit both copies (+/+), then now you have only one lane left for traffic handling. The same is the case with your body when you consider your body instead of the motorway, and traffic instead of stressors. Big traffic means that your body will handle a large number of stressors. For big traffic management, more lanes are needed.

You can also think of stressors as cars on the motorway involved in road accidents. It doesn’t matter how many lanes you have, accidents will occur, which will further lead to the blockage or bad flow of traffic. These cars involved in road accidents resemble “inhibitors” in our bodies that reduce the flow of metabolic activities.

MTHFR/MTR/MTRR gene mutation along with metal toxicity

When it comes to the biochemistry of human beings, they are from being perfect.

Chromosomes are genetic materials present in the nucleus of cells, composed of DNA. The DNA is called the blueprint for human biological functioning and has small fragments known as genes.

There are genes like methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR), methionine synthase gene (MTR), and methionine synthase reductase gene (MTRR). Sometimes, these genes are altered (mutated), and hence they appropriately don’t work.

When these genes are altered, and heavy toxic metals are combined with these mutations, the consequences are dreadful and may cause the methylation activity to stop.

Although we cannot fix the mutation of these genes, we can change their expression (function). It will be just like removing the jam of car accidents from the lanes of the motorway. With proper treatment, the expression of gene mutation can be competently done.

MTHFR Deficiency Symptoms List

• Panic attacks
• Parkinson’s
• Parkinson’s like symptoms
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Peripheral numbness
• Persistent infections like yeast
• Poor memory
• Progressive blindness
• Reoccurring Parasites
• Respiratory issues
• Sensitivity to light
• Skin discolorations
• Sleep disturbances
• Slow healing
• Stomach pain
• Strabismus
• Tinnitus
• Tremors
• Vertigo
• Visual disturbances
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Weight loss

Why use TRS for detoxification?

TRS is best to use for detoxification purposes, and we highly suggest it. The following lines will make it clear why you should use TRS instead of other detoxes.

Clinoptilolite zeolite works so well because they have a high negative charge and a strong affinity for toxins as toxins are usually positively charged.

They act like tiny toxin magnets that attract and cage heavy metals, pesticides and any other toxin that has a positive charge. 

TRS is unique among detoxes. Coseva perfectly designed the zeolites to be in the nanometer range and encased in water molecule clusters. 

They have a sufficient amount of surface area to capture toxins because of their 0.9-nanometer pore size. Once toxins get trapped by the zeolite, they are captured within the zeolites’ cage-like structure and are rendered inert and have no chance of breaking loose.

Due to the small size of the nano-zeolites, there is no need for the kidney to filter; that’s how gentle this method of detoxing is.

The TRS zeolites are encased in water molecules in a true colloidal suspension. They cannot settle out of the solution and they are able to travel through the body with water and detox at the cellular level, including passing the blood brain barrier. 

What makes TRS incredibly unique;  it is considered a passive chelator, it picks up toxins as it encounters them, but does not force toxins into circulation which is why it does not cause redistribution and prevent the body from harm. The transportation of the TRS largely occurs through urine and other elimination pathways. 

TRS will remove any toxin with a positive charge and that includes heavy metals and toxic elements (aluminum, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, fluoride, barium, strontium, uranium, lead etc), pesticides and herbicides, plastic residues, toxins from molds and yeasts, chemicals from smoke and air pollution and also any radioactive material in the body.

Purchase Coseva’s TRS heavy metal spray  – https://stonesdetox.mycoseva.com/shopline_category.html?category=Detox

Faq about TRS – https://www.stonesdetox.com/frequently-asked-questions-and-answers/