MTHFR Mutations - Should You Be Worried? - Dr. Osborne's Zone

This week, Dr. Osborne is joined by Dr. Ben Lynch, the best-selling author of Dirty Genes and President of Seeking Health, a company that helps educate both the public and health professionals on how to overcome genetic dysfunction. He received his doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University.

Dr. Lynch and Dr. Osborne discuss the MTHFR genetic mutation and its implications. MTHFR is a genetic mutation that some people have. It can affect how your body detoxifies and processes certain substances. If you have this mutation, you may need to be more careful about what you put in your body and avoid certain things.

Their conversation also covers the misconceptions and fears surrounding MTHFR, such as the need for lifelong folate supplementation and the use of certain medications.

Make sure to join us at 6 PM Central on Tuesday for this deep dive!

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to MTHFR and Genetic Testing
00:07:24 - Detoxification and Gene Function
00:14:53 - The Importance of Folate and MTHFR Genetic Variation
00:22:29 - The Role of MTHFR Enzyme in Health
00:29:57 - MTHFR and Homocysteine Levels
00:37:09 - The Origins of the Word "Folic Acid"
00:44:37 - Driving Carefully with MTHFR
00:51:44 - Folic Acid Enriched Corn and Methyl Folate Absorption
00:59:28 - Methyl Folate and Folic Acid: A Comparison
01:06:27 - Outro: The Dr Osborne Zone


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Podcast:

[stardustgoldcrochet]

Regarding this…you seem to have a good knowledge. But please please please make it clear to people that “folic acid” is not folate. It’s toxic to people with MTHFR. I have C677T heterozygous. My story is a LONG one…but started with losing my hair, gaining weight, severe panic attacks, in 2010. And more. In 2015 my grandson was born with Spina Bifida. I was in graduate school for bioinformatics. I was in a wheelchair unable to walk. MTHFR nearly killed me. When I became vegan and allergic to yeast, I became malnourished. In 2020 I found out I have it running my own genome. When I hear people say “it’s no big deal” it absolutely IS a big deal. I have ADHD / autism and so does my grandson, and daughter. Have PCOS, MCAS, POTS (fixed), HSD, Fibromyalgia (cured it myself), deficiencies in B12, folate, D, E, A. Fibro cystic breast disease, bad teeth. Ugh. Thorne basic B saved my life. You can’t just walk through life without knowing this crucial information and how it can literally make you not alive anymore

[jackics]

I have psoriasic arthritis. My reumatologist put me on Metrotrexate, with folic acid. I told him I have MTHFR in omozigosis. He said was NOT RELEVANT and he DOUBLED my dose of syntethic Folic Acid, since I was having HEAVY side-effects from Metrotrexate. I sent his recommendation to hell and started taking folate instead, and no more side-effects basically. This was one of the primary reumatologist in Italy and managing one of our primary hospitals. The situation is HIGHLY drammatic with our doctors. Thank you Dr Lynch for all of your work.

[mary]

Man I wish every health care person understood your content.

[RightDoc]

Methyltetrahydrafolate Reductase. It’s an enzyme. Enzymes often transition our basic amino acids from foods to other essential chemicals in body. Example: tryptophan + l-methyl folate = melatonin and serotonin. Tyrosine + l-methylfolate = norepinephrine and dopamine. With poorly functioning MTHFR, we cannot produce l-methyl folate so folks lack production of adequate amounts of those particular neuro chemicals and often have lifelong low grade depressions and idiosyncratic reactions to certain treatments. That’s from a neuropsychiatric standpoint. MTHFR is also very involved in cytochrome p450 enzyme system which affects poor, normal or rapid metabolism if about half of all medications on market. Explains individual tolerance variations of many patients.
Excellent point in folate vs l-methyl folate. The excess folate in prenatal vitamins most likely plays a role in post partum depressions as it interferes with l-methyl folates ability to produce mood chemicals in the CNS. Good talk Dr lynch. Neuropsychiatrist here. Tx.

[ilmendo]

I have cried. I have been labeled as a google boy while I was having: seronegative celiac disease, hypothyroidism, atherosclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease called hereditary spastic paraplegia spg4 ( with bilateral babinski, hofmann and romberg signs) chronic gastritis with gerd and gastroparesis, lymphoproliferative colitis, mthfr mutation with pernicious Anemia, vitamin b2, vitamin D, iron deficiency lipidemia, metabolic syndrome, high hemoglobulin and hematocrit, mthfr mutation, and probably with polyctemia vera ( cd 19 maturation issues connected with my seronegative celiac disease) bile acid malabsortion. Adhd, Schizoaffective disorder, neurodevelopment disorder, hyper homocysteinuria and Eoe.
It pisses me off that all started in the gut ( even the neurological disease is associated with amino acid malabsortion/ gad65 toxicity).
Now that I do talk with doctor I am the teacher and it s not funny at all because I realize how ignorant the majority of them are.

[stardustgoldcrochet]

Truth! It took me 13 years to get my diagnosis. And I was the one doing the leg work and just confirming it through requesting specific tests and bringing NCBI articles to my docs to back it up. But I have recordings from every visit from 2015 on because I thought I was dying

[therealjenniferrr]

So timely, Dr. Lynch just answered my question I sent to his website about taking DAO with caprylic acid. lol And if you read this Dr. Lynch, yes I'm actually already taking saccharomyces boulardii for the candida overgrowth! Originally because of the cdiff from 5 rounds of antibiotics for diverticulitis last year (ofc also 3 rounds for the cdiff and 1 for a uti it caused... last year was SO MUCH FUN). Dr. Osborne ty so much for having him on your show, I can testify I feel better with my Bs from SH vs another company I tried. The ones from the other company were a plant whole foods based B complex and I was increasingly unable to sleep, to the point that eventually I was awake for 2 days straight (and I say this as someone who suffers from chronic fatigue so it was not good). I have not done a gene test yet but keep meaning to do that. It will be quite fascinating to see what it says. I love the point he came to about carnivores feeling better because they are taking the nonbioavailable vitamins out of their diet by eliminating the prepackaged foods, as it's the same as your point in regards to grains and carnivores (sometimes subtraction can be a bigger benefit than addition). This fortifies the concept that we should be eating real, whole, unprocessed foods. Thank you both for what you do, you are both a treasure to the health community. 🙏

[bogipepper]

Wow, Ben came across clearer then his own videos.

[ilmendo]

Serotonin is mainly located in the distal ileum and large intestine.
In the distal ileum you also have the vitamin b12 and folate final absprtion.

[DianaMarie]

Love this podcast! Thank you!! I have this. I have spina bifida & many of its other conditions. We need more awareness!! I’ve been sick for decades. And no doctor ever helped me! I asked my doctor to check me for this 10 years ago & she had no idea what I was talking about. She never tested me. So I got it through another doctor. Looking forward to making things better one day. I’m trying! Learning & changing my diet. ❤

[DeborahPerez-bb]

Amazing interview. I need to watch this twice, so much info.

[kday]

Please Dr. more on MTHFR it’s horrible….not knowing one has it for our quality of life
Thanks ❤

[davidmoorman]

I have been looking for a replacement for my former MD, Dr Rea in environmental health center Dallas. So glad to find you.

[JMSsssssss]

Fantastic interview. I just found Ben's book on my bookshelf, I forgot I had it! I bought it a few years ago and hardly looked at it - maybe because I didn't know enough to process the info. Since then I have had genetic testing done and I know I have a dirty MTHFR. I just took the book out and will give it a read with everything I now know. I DO get beet red when I exercise. My father's side of the family is riddled with alzheimers, including him and most of his siblings, as well as cousins. Who can say for sure why, but maybe MTHFR. I actually just went back and looked at my dna results. I recently bought methylfolate, but it turns out I should be avoiding it and going with folinic acid instead. Thank you for putting that on my radar!

[KiwiBee]

I have same MTHFR SNPs as Dr Lynch plus PEMT, MTR, and a few others affecting detoxification. Wide familial hx of bipolar, schizophrenia, adhd, near cleft palate, neural tube defects/spinabifida resulting in death, fatty liver etc. interestingly my dad had episodes of “break back fever” from malaria contracted in UK naval service prior to making 12 kids with my mum in NZ.
My 2 pregnancies both abnormal ( preterm twins placental abruption at 26wks, nxt child couldn’t birth due to short umbilical cord). Gas made me vomit. Recently had closed reduction on wrist fracture w/o gas or meds. Rather have 30 mins pain over several weeks of feeling toxic and unable to function with brain inflammation. I used to live in Rotorua which is our Sulfur tourism destination in NZ. Was very unwell.
Now postmenopausal I’m acutely aware of my need for choline with the MTHFR and PEMT combo.
Great episode. I credit Ben Lynch with educating me on the importance of epigenetics. Dirty Genes is awesome and Stratagene is a top repository of genetic information

[CristalJ-ef]

Thanks both of you for the information.

[kaycurrie]

Dr. Osborne, I really needed this. I will go back & watch again. Thank you so much for this interview. I tend to have high homocysteine.
Grateful for all the hard work!

[dinomiles]

Lynch is a master Decentralizor ❤. Eyes mind heart and soul wide open. NO FEAR ❤ ! Thank both of you so much . ❤

[stardustgoldcrochet]

This entire interview and all the studies here don’t even focus on the main thing that MTHFR causes. SPINA BIFIDA. They started the enrichment program because of this. 1 in a thousand babies are born with neural tube defects. But folic acid only reduces the instances of SB by 30%.

I’m just blown away Spina Bifida isn’t mentioned here. You need to be recommending methyl folate in prenatal vitamins.

Folic acid causes anxiety. My anxiety is gone. I don’t eat enriched foods at all. Anxiety disappeared.

[ChrisMac]

Man Dr. Osborne do I got questions. I'm former pro football player. And 2009 I got diagnosed stage 3 medullary thyroid cancer. Thyroid was removed plus lymph nodes in neck n upper chest. Developed type 1 diabetes 5 Year ago, I grew up 1 mile from biggest mine fire in US, Centralia PA. Tons of sulfer in air, water supply. They built Coal generation plants all over the area. Thyroid problems run rapid in area. I had inflammation issues going back to HS, my homocysteine level is low. Choline is severe low. VitK low, Magnesium, Biotin, B12, and I also showed several amino acid n oxidant levels that were badly low. I struggle w fatigue, constipation, brain fog in evenings. Don't sleep well. I've asked my endocrinologist at Univ of Maryland to do genetic blood work on me and get well my insurance won't pay for it?