Are you learning about MTHFR and methylation? Maybe you're wondering about this concept of overmethylation symptoms versus undermethylation symptoms. In this video we're going to talk about some of these principles, the complexity of the overall methylation process, how balance is really the key thing to be looking for, and how you can use these principles of overmethylation versus undermethylation as a guide, but not necessarily a diagnostic, to understand where there may be gaps in your balance.
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00:00 Introduction to Methylation: Over vs. Under Symptoms
So here we want to look at overmethylation symptoms versus undermethylation symptoms, but the process of over and undermethylation in the body is actually quite complex. As you'll come to understand, the relationship between methylation and its symptoms is a bit more subtle than the popular binary approach seems to suggest. Still, we can use certain symptoms to better understand what steps to take in different situations when it comes to your health and when you're trying to optimize things. So the first thing to understand is that when we talk about methylation, we're referring to the addition of a methyl group molecule onto another molecule, and methyl donors such as Folate or methylfolate and methyl B12, SAMe, etc., play a crucial role in this process.
01:07 Understanding Methylation and Its Complexities
However, it's essential to also recognize that the manifestations of symptoms that may come on from taking these things or not taking them aren't really a one-size-fits-all scenario. The symptoms associated with these methyl donors are not necessarily from a uniform increase or lack of the addition of a methyl group occurring all throughout your body. For instance, taking a methyl donor like SAMe or methylfolate doesn't automatically lead to a global increase in this methylation process everywhere. Our bodies have a very intricate and sophisticated way to regulate these processes. It involves feedback mechanisms from things like the level of homocysteine, environmental drivers of epigenetic changes of DNA, and various other cellular signaling pathways.
03:18 Symptoms and Personalized Approaches to Methylation
So that may seem a bit abstract, but the message that I'm trying to get across is that the overall methylation process isn't really about more or less. It's about trying to give your body the balance that it itself is trying to achieve. And sometimes we may overshoot the mark by giving too much of something, and the body has to deal with all that excess, or it may not have enough, and it has to create strategies to try and compensate for that lack. So with that general information out of the way and explained, many people want to know more about the symptoms of overmethylation or undermethylation. In a real sense, that question is really concerned about, do I need to take more methyl donors because I'm undermethylated, or do I need less methyl donors because I'm overmethylated.
04:50 Applying Methylation Principles in Clinical Practice
And we can really think about these as categories of symptoms versus the organic biological processes that are associated with methylation. The idea was originally described in the context of mental health by Dr. William Walsh. And while symptoms alone are not super reliable, they can provide us a pretty decent guide. As described by him, overmethylation can include things like anxiety, hyperactivity, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies, while undermethylation may include things like depression, oppositional behavior, or even low motivation. It's not clear to me if these symptoms are reliable as standalone diagnostics. I mean, they don't appear to be. For instance, you're not taking any methyl donors and you're depressed, therefore you need more methyl donors. Uh, is that going to apply in every instance? Or if you're anxious or have more obsessive tendencies, should you avoid them? I would especially call this into question on the overmethylation side of symptoms.
07:04 Conclusion and Further Resources
I wouldn't necessarily avoid giving any methyl donors just because someone said they were anxious or obsessive. For instance, someone could be anxious and depressed at the same time or feel fatigued and depressed and also have obsessive thoughts. Still, in my clinical experience, I do find these principles of treating people with methyl donors for various health issues, for various mental health issues and topics very helpful.
