High Homocysteine Could Be Causing Your Thyroid Blues While Flying Completely Under the Radar!
Homocysteine could be the reason your riddled with unexplained symptoms and your blood tests are normal.
Homocysteine is an amino acid that is formed during a chemical process called methylation. Methylation is the process of adding a methyl group to a substance that the body needs to break down, like arsenic or histamine for example.
The process of methylation starts with the amino acid methionine. When methionine loses a methyl group it becomes homocysteine. The next step is to reattach a methyl group to homocysteine recycling it back into methionine, so the methylation can start all over again.
The B vitamins B12 and folate are responsible for recycling homocysteine back into methionine. If we do not have enough of these important vitamins, homocysteine cannot be recycled. Homocysteine levels rise, and the body cannot perform more methylation reactions. {B12 levels drop with age, but can be replaced}
Methylation is involved in detoxification, the immune system, DNA repair, mood stability, energy production, and controlling inflammation. High levels of homocysteine and impaired methylation are associated with a plethora of health issues.
Homocysteine and the thyroid
High homocysteine levels lead to low levels of the amino acid tyrosine that makes up thyroid hormones. Therefore, the body cannot make as much T4 & T3. So if homocysteine lowers the amount of thyroid hormone the body can make, then won’t we see low T4 and T3 levels on blood work?
No. In addition to causing low levels of T4 & T3, homocysteine can block thyroid hormone from getting into the cell. If thyroid hormones cannot move into the cell, they are stuck in the blood stream. Therefore, high homocysteine can cause low thyroid symptoms all the while your thyroid blood tests stay “normal.”
Who’s at risk for high homocysteine?
Homocysteine levels rise if there is a lack of certain vitamins, particularly B12 and folate. People who take birth control pills and antacids often have low levels of these vitamins and have high homocysteine as a result.
People with hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) cannot break down food properly in order to absorb nutrients. These people often are deficient in a multitude of nutrients including the vitamins needed to lower homocysteine levels. People at risk of having low stomach acid include those with hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, intestinal parasites, and gluten sensitivity.
What can you do about it?
First, get tested. I know most of us who are reading this do not have the highest regards for using blood work to find explanations for their symptoms. However, testing for homocysteine could be a game changer.
Many labs suggests a normal range for homocysteine = 5-15 μmol/L. However, studies suggests that levels equal to or greater than 7 μmol/L can be problematic.
In addition to testing for homocysteine, get tested to see if you have a variant (aka mutated, variant just sounds nicer) copy of the MTHFR gene. Huh?
Allow me to explain…
MTHFR
In order for homocysteine to be recycled back into methionine, we must have enough folate and B12, but these vitamins need to be in their “active” forms in order to be effective.
MTHFR is an enzyme required to convert folate into its active form, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. It is this special active form of folate, with the help of active B12, that recycles homocysteine back into the good amino acid methionine.
People with variant copies (or mutations) of the MTHFR gene simply do not activate folate as well as someone with a normal MTHFR gene. Therefore, even if we are getting adequate amounts of folate from food or supplements, we may not be producing enough of the active form of folate needed to lower homocysteine levels.
Conditions linked to MTHFR gene mutations and elevated homocysteine
People with defects in the MTHFR gene may suffer from:
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia
Autism
Multiple sclerosis
Pulmonary embolisms
Heart attack/stroke
Atherosclerosis
Depression
Anxiety
Insomnia
ADD/ADHD
Bipolar Disorder
Addictive behaviors (alcoholism)
Schizophrenia
Infertility/recurrent miscarriages
Allergies/chronic viral infections
Increased sensitivity to chemicals, drugs, supplements
Congenital heart defects
Spina bifida
Down’s syndrome
Chronic pain syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Thyroid dysfunction
Cancer
While I attempted to oversimplify this explanation of the MTHFR gene, please refer to one of the leading experts in this field, Dr. Ben Lynch. Visit his website at www.mthfr.net for much more information.
Folic acid is NOT the same as folate!!
Before we get to the supplement recommendations, it is imperative that you know the difference between folic acid and folate. Folic acid is a synthetic (meaning it does not exist in nature) form of folate. Many people (especially those with MTHFR gene mutations) cannot turn folic acid into the useful active form of folate that the body needs. Research is showing this synthetic folic acid can even be harmful because the body cannot break it down very easily.
Therefore, folic acid can build up in the system and cause problems. Build-up of synthetic folic acid affects the immune system and as a result increases your risk of cancer.
The Supplemental Solution
It is very important to know if you have a mutation in the MTHFR gene because you will simply need to supplement with the active form of folate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. It is also recommended that you supplement with the active forms of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin & adenosylcobalamin).
Both vitamin B12 and folate are needed to lower homocysteine levels. It is not recommended to supplement with either folate or B12 alone. Studies show that taking excess of one of these vitamins may mask a deficiency of the other. It is best to take these vitamins in the form of a B complex.
Seeking Health® is a brand of physician formulated vitamins that were designed specifically to contain these active vitamins. If you are concerned you may not be absorbing nutrients very well from your intestinal tract, you may want to try taking these vitamins in the form of a lozenge that dissolves in your mouth.
Start with taking:
400 mcg folate (as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate)
500 mcg vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin)
After a week or 2, you can then increase to 800 mcg folate and 1000 mcg vitamin B12. Starting with the full dose can make you feel jittery or anxious if you have been deficient in these vitamins for some time.
If high homocysteine due to a lack of active B vitamins has been contributing to your thyroid symptoms, you will likely notice a difference in the way you feel shortly after starting a supplement.
One step closer to Thyroid Immunity
Many things can hinder thyroid function without ever showing up on your blood work. This does not mean you are crazy, or that it is all in your head, or that you need an antidepressant. I can assure you that none of us are suffering from a Prozac deficiency.
Addressing elevated homocysteine levels by supplementing with the active B vitamins gets us one step closer to achieving true Thyroid Immunity.
