Genetic mutations (polymorphisms) of the MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate) enzyme are common in the general population.
Estimates are that approximately 60% of the general population (including myself) possess this mutation which comes with a range of influence on such important metabolic processes as methylation* pathway impairment, the potential buildup of homocysteine levels etc.)
* For those of you who read my newsletter that are not health care practitioners here is a simple explanation of methylation from the website: Mindbodygreen:
What is methylation? Without getting too technical, methylation is the addition of a single carbon and three hydrogen atoms (called a methyl group) to another molecule. The removal of a methyl group is called demethylation. Think of billions of little on/off switches inside your body that control everything from your stress response and how your body makes energy from food, to your brain chemistry and detoxification. That’s methylation and demethylation.
Typically if the MTHFR polymorphism is negatively impacting on methylation function, one of the approaches to improve this is for the individual to supplement with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methyl THF) – which is something that I personally do.
The reason this is done is that with this polymorphism the biochemical pathway step which involves converting 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methyl THF), the primary circulatory form of folate utilized in homocysteine remethylation to methionine is impaired. By consuming the end product – 5-methyl THF you are consuming the end product and not worrying about the impaired conversion to make the end product – 5-methyl THF.
The following article suggests that by simply supplementing with Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) that the additional Riboflavin can make the enzyme necessary for this conversion to work like normal.
Supplementing with 5-methyl THF certainly works, however many readers I am sure would agree that targeting and resolving the cause of the problem (the enzymatic conversion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methyl THF) makes more sense – rather than targeting the effect.
In addition, 5-methyl THF is typically a practitioner grade supplement which the general population would not typically have access to – and most in this population would not understand the biochemistry/biochemical pathways involved and may actually exacerbate an existing problem (for example, initiating overmethylation can disrupt neurotransmitter balance). Also 5-methyl THF is much more expensive vs. Riboflavin, a common and accessible B vitamin.
Many comprehensive B vitamin complexes may in fact have enough Riboflavin content to meet this need, and I am of the opinion that it is always best to take balanced ratios of the B vitamins – unless there is a specific identified need for a larger amount of a specific B vitamin(s).
A key focus in my clinical practice when I am working with clients to help them to optimize their health and resolve health issues is putting together for them a program to help them to be able to reverse their Biological Age.
Chronological vs. Biological Age
Chronological age is your age in years.
Biological age, also called physiological or internal age, is a measure of how well or poorly your body is functioning relative to your actual calendar age.
This concept would make sense to most individuals: we have all interacted with individuals who seem to be much younger – or older than their age in years.
We are able to assess Chronological Age via several methods: I use a technology device when I am working in person with clients which provides a comparison between Biological Age and Chronological Age.
In addition to this technology device, there are a couple of lab
tests which provide information related to Biological Age vs. Chronological
Age: a test to assess telomere length and health as well as a test to assess
methylation function.
Telomeres
Telomeres can be described as end caps on chromosomes – a similar concept to
the plastic tips on shoe laces.
As we age and our cells divide multiple times telomeres shorten and the shorter
they get the more prone we are to chronic, degenerative disease.
Our lifestyle choices and situation can also impact on telomere length, for
example eating poor quality food, not sleeping enough, dealing with severe
stress and other factors can all have an impact of shortening telomeres.
Methylation
Methylation is a biochemical process which happens continuously in our
bodies. As we age, our methylation function deteriorates.
A simple explanation of methylation is as follows:
“What is methylation? Without getting too technical, methylation is the
addition of a single carbon and three hydrogen atoms (called a methyl group) to
another molecule. The removal of a methyl group is called demethylation. Think
of billions of little on/off switches inside your body that control everything
from your stress response and how your body makes energy from food, to your
brain chemistry and detoxification. That’s methylation and demethylation”.
Reversing Biological Age has the potential to extend Healthspan:
Healthspan vs. Lifespan
Lifespan is the number of years we live: Healthspan is the duration of
time we live during which we stay healthy – the maintenance of full function as
nearly as possible to the end of life.
Recent medical advances has continuously extended lifespan, however many
individuals spend differing lengths of time towards the ends of their lives
dealing with poor quality of life (such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, physical
challenges that significantly impact on mobility etc.)
Reversing Your Biological Age
If you are interested in finding out how you can reverse your Biological Age
and potentially impact on your Healthspan, reach out to me:
The Fight Aging newsletter is free and is published and sent out weekly on Sundays.
It is the best source I know of as a summary of current developments in the area of aging research.
This article discusses the concept that age-related degeneration of joints – specifically cartilage is associated with inflammation, which I am sure for most of you is a well known basic concept.
It mentions two key concepts: the Inflammasome as well as Cellular Senescence.
If you are not familiar with the concept of the Inflammasome I have included a link and abstract from a paper published in Nature at the end of this article.
Regarding cellular senescence, I have previously written an article on this topic in October of last year –
Cellular senescence has been identified as a key factor contributing to the aging process, and it is a key target for both big Pharma as well as Biotech companies to develop compounds which target and destroy senescent cells – referred to as “Senolytics”.
There are currently human drug trials being conducted with senolytic compounds to target senesecent cells (sometimes referred to as “zombie cells” in the common literature) and I am of the opinion that awareness of this concept will be well established within the general population within probably 12 – 24 months – and I don’t think there is any doubt that health care practitioners across the spectrum will be utilizing senolytic compounds in their practice to target age related degenerative conditions.
Our Activity Relating to Senolytics
I have been extensively researching this topic of cellular senescence and senolytic compounds for approximately two years now and our company is in the final stages of application preparation for an NPN for a natural source senolytic formulation, so hopefully within about six months or so we will have our formulation approved such that we can bring it to the market:
I will provide you with further information on this topic as we progress towards our product launch.
To my knowledge, at this stage there are no specific natural compound formulations which target cellular senescence – anywhere in the world.
Following is the article: one key takeaway from this article and additional reading I have done on this topic is that senolytic compounds may provide a key approach to arthritic conditions.
I wrote a newsletter article several years ago documenting an apparent link between a common parasitic infection sourced from cats – toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia.
Further evidence of this link has been shown with the recent publication of a large cohort study – over 80,000 individuals done in Denmark.
Results from the study suggested that infection from not only Toxoplasma gondii but also CMV – Cytomegalovirus may be responsible for an increased incidence of schizophrenia as well as other conditions including a range of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, among others – as well as potentially increasing suicide rates.
This correlation has been suspected and documented in previous published research (see links at the end of this article) however this study was the first one to examine ‘temporality’ – which meant only looking at participants who hadn’t yet been diagnosed with schizophrenia when T. gondii was found in their blood.
“The association was even stronger when accounting for temporality and considering only the 28 cases who were diagnosed with a schizophrenia disorder after the date of blood collection,” the authors write.
Today I wanted to share with you an article published on the Green Med Info website and the referenced study published in JAMA Paediatrics which suggests that the consumption of acetaminophen by women during pregnancy is more likely to result in a child having ADHD as well as a higher risk of having children who exhibit other emotional or behavioral symptoms.
The article also points out that acetaminophen is very hard on the liver – about 40% of regular acetaminophen users show signs of liver damage. Acetaminophen reduces the liver’s store of the important detoxifying aid and antioxidantglutathione.
Also consumption of acetaminophen during the first year of life can increase the potential for developing asthma.
There are many safe natural alternatives to acetaminophen: Michael Murray, ND the article’s author suggests ginger as a viable alternative.
In my opinion acetaminophen with all its potential negative health effects and limited benefits should not be consumed.
A REMINDER:
Our Integra Nutrition Longevity Sciences formulation GenZogenol-R will be available within one week.
GenZogenol-R is a formulation developed to directly target some of the causes of aging at the DNA level.
Here is a link to an overview of this exciting formulation
Following is the article and the referenced journal abstract.
Regards,
Rob
Another damning study indicates it is simply time to pull the plug on this outdated drug.
