What Exactly Does Methylation Do in the Body?
Let’s dive into science for a moment. Methylation is a chemical reaction in the body in which a small molecule called a methyl group gets added to DNA, proteins, or other molecules. Methylation is necessary for life to begin as it assists in the development of embryos, and it is essential for life to continue as it facilitates gene expression, converts raw materials into usable nutrients in the body, and supports many other vital bodily functions.
Methylation happens billions of times in the body. It is crucial because it repairs DNA and switches genes on and off. Gene expression influences many facets of wellness, including your risk of developing certain diseases.
If methylation isn’t working properly in your body, which is common and will be touched on next, you may experience a number of symptoms including anxiety, heart problems, depression, sleep issues, gut complications, weight gain, poor mood, brain fog, and many more.
What Causes Poor Methylation?
There are many things that can impede proper methylation, including lifestyle, diet, stress, the environment you live in, and genetics. One gene mutation in particular, the underproduction of the 5-MTHFR gene, is present in more than 44% of the world’s population. This mutation prevents the body from functioning the way it should and deprives the body of essential nutrients.
As mentioned above, poor methylation can lead to a number of undesirable symptoms. It can also potentially put you at risk of developing some diseases like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, ADHD, and atherosclerosis. However, improving your methylation cycle is possible.
What Promotes Methylation?
Supporting proper methylation should be a goal for everyone. Because methylation plays such a critical role in so many processes within the body, supporting it through diet, a healthy active lifestyle, proper sleep, and avoiding certain lifestyle choices, is the right choice.
Nutrient-Rich Diet: Folate and vitamin B are essential to the methylation process, so eating non-processed foods that are rich in those nutrients is important. Dark leafy greens, eggs, nuts, lean meats, and seafood all benefit proper methylation.
Exercise: High levels of stress can make an MTHFR mutation worse, so getting enough physical activity to fight free radicals in the body promotes proper methylation.
Sleep: Not getting enough sleep has been shown to negatively impact the methylation process. You should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
Avoiding Smoking & Too Much Alcohol: Your liver is responsible for cleaning up your body after smoking or drinking. When your liver is working hard to rid the body of these substances, it may become damaged or inflamed, which disrupts proper methylation.
Although following these guidelines is good for proper methylation, and overall wellness, you may still suffer from gene mutations or nutrient deficiencies that hinder proper methylation. The only way to truly know how your genes are functioning is through a genetic test.
Testing Your Methylation Cycle
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, having your methylation cycle tested is important. A genetic test can uncover which genes are functioning properly, and which genes are not. If you have a 5-MTHFR gene mutation, it will be uncovered with a genetic test.
The 10X Health genetic test will not only uncover any gene mutations that may exist in your body, but the test will also give you a snapshot of your current well-being. With this information, a roadmap to your ultimate wellness is revealed. Knowing which genes are working correctly and which are not, along with what nutrient deficiencies you may have gives you all the information you need to make the changes to optimize your personal wellness.
How Does the 10X Health Genetic Test Work?
The process of taking the 10X Health genetic test is easy.
- We send you a test kit with instructions on how to take a cheek swab or saliva sample–no needles.
- You ship the sample back to us.
- Our world-class lab team analyzes your results and provides you with a report and recommendations for adjustments you can make to get your body functioning the way it should and improve your overall well-being.
Why You Should Care About Methylation
Proper methylation is imperative to overall wellness. It plays a critical role in your current state of wellness but also may determine your long-term vitality. You should care about how methylation is functioning in your body because so much is determined by it.
The ability to find out through a simple test if a function as important as methylation is functioning properly gives you a lot of control over your well-being.
Interested in learning more about methylation, its effects on your body, and how to test for gene mutations? Reach out to 10X Health today!
