278 | id == 278
278 | category_id == 19
278 | category_order == 16
278 | category_name == Pain
278 | category_color == #C47AC0
278 | slug == MTHFR-Migraines-Headaches
278 | title == Can This Folate-Metabolizing Gene Increase Your Risk Of Headaches And Migraines? (MTHFR)
278 | meta_description == MTHFR gene variants may make you more susceptible to headaches and migraines. Read on to find out more!
278 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Variants of the MTHFR gene may reduce folate availability. This may make you more susceptible to headaches and migraines. Read on to find out how these variants may be influencing your own headache and migraine risk, and some steps you can take to potentially reduce their impact!</strong></p>
278 | overall_score_text == Your Headache and Migraine Score (based on MTHFR)
278 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/MTHFR--Pain-Headaches-Migraine.jpg
278 | author_id == 13
278 | author_name == Lewis Cuthbertson
278 | author_title == PhD
278 | author_order == 12
278 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Lewis_SelfDecode.jpg
278 | author_intro == <p><strong>Lewis completed his PhD in Molecular Microbiology at Northumbria University (UK).</strong></p>    <p>Lewis spent several years researching the biodiversity of bacterial communities in the Arctic and Antarctic, whilst also performing research for a DNA sequencing service, where he was involved in several health based microbiome studies. This gave him an insight into how the highly diverse and invisible to the naked eye portion of human health, can potentially impact an individual&rsquo;s quality of life, driving his desire to help others understand their own complex health needs through the most current scientific research.<br />  &nbsp;</p>
278 | reviewer_id == 10
278 | reviewer_name == Biljana Novkovic
278 | reviewer_title == PhD
278 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
278 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
278 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
278 | publish_date == 2020
278 | publish_date == 8
278 | publish_date == 18
278 | avg_rating == 5.0
278 | tags_id == 100
278 | tags_name == Folate
278 | tags_id == 69
278 | tags_name == Headache
278 | tags_id == 31
278 | tags_name == Migraine
278 | tags_id == 36
278 | tags_name == MTHFR Gene
278 | tags_id == 71
278 | tags_name == Pain
278 | permissions_favorite == False
278 | permissions_rate == False
278 | content_article == <p style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have persistent or unexplained pain, it is important to discuss these concerns with your doctor. The information in this post is presented for educational purposes only, and should not be used to replace standard medical care.</span></em></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene?</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="../../../gene/mthfr/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene codes for an enzyme known as methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase or MTHFR. This enzyme is responsible for converting dietary folate into available active folate, which is essential for the conversion of the amino acid </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/optimal-homocysteine-levels-increase-decrease/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">homocysteine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to</span> <a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/methionine-good-bad-surprising-truth-methionine-restriction/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">methionine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19144510"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25449138"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This enzyme is also important for the production of DNA and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/what-is-methylation-and-how-does-it-affect-our-health/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">methylation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> pathways that are essential for all bodily functions [</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25449138"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Low MTHFR activity can lead to increased </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/optimal-homocysteine-levels-increase-decrease/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">homocysteine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, an inflammatory amino acid. Elevated homocysteine can wreak havoc on your health; it has been linked to cardiovascular disease, reduced brain function, and autoimmunity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25449138"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25802182"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19224340"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15131313"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The <em>MTHFR </em>gene encodes MTHFR enzymes, which are essential for the conversion of homocysteine into methionine. Low MTHFR levels may promote homocysteine buildup, which may cause inflammation.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Headaches and Migraines</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head associated with aching and pressure, and may be caused by malfunctions of the nervous system. Persistent headaches are the primary symptom of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/migraines-and-headaches-causes-and-solutions/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">migraines</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and typically the head pain associated with them is worse. For migraines, head pain is felt alongside symptoms such as [</span><a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/migraine"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nausea</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sickness</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seeing flashing lights or spots</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Light and sound sensitivity</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Loss of sight</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Migraines can be further subdivided into migraines with and without aura. Migraines with aura affect roughly 25% of migraine sufferers. These are categorized by migraine-preceding symptoms such as seeing blind spots, seeing flashing lights, or hearing noises that aren&rsquo;t there. Conversely, migraines without aura come on without prior warning [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28542895/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the main causes of headaches and migraines is </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/migraines-and-headaches-causes-and-solutions/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">inflammation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. One source of chronic inflammation leading to head pain is thought to be vascular (blood vessel) dysfunction.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This dysfunction can be observed as poor vasodilation (widening of blood vessels).</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Head pain, in the form of headaches or migraines, can be caused by blood vessel dysfunction and accompanying inflammation.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Variants</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple studies have associated carrying a variant of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene with risk of head pain.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1801133</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A group of researchers investigated the relationship between the common </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene variant rs1801133 and migraine risk in white people. They did so first by comparing the genes of 1402 people without migraines to 447 people with migraines. This was then followed with a meta-analysis of more than 34,000 individuals across 15 studies [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120667/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The investigators found an association between carrying the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of the variant and an increased risk of migraine with aura [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120667/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This association was also found by two additional meta-analyses. One of the two studies only observed the association in non-white individuals [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17714520/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19925624/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of rs1801133 has also been found to be associated with an increased risk of chronic cluster headaches [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20946434/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite these associations, some studies have found there to be either no effect or even a protective effect of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele on migraine risk. This may be due to differences in study design, and so further studies with more participants are required to confirm the relationship between </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants and migraine risk [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2562562/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18957721/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of rs1801133 has also been shown to be associated with symptoms of the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25824380/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rs1801131</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">One research group has also investigated the link between rs1801131 and migraines. They did this by conducting a meta-analysis involving 26 studies. The 26 studies totalled 10,228 migraine sufferers and 28,608 healthy controls [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The group reported an association between individuals carrying two copies of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele, and an increased risk of migraine without aura in white and indian individuals [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em>MTHFR </em>gene variants may increase an individual's susceptibility to headaches and migraines.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How MTHFR Variants May Increase Headache And Migraine Risk</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Functioning normally, the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene facilitates healthy blood folate and homocysteine levels. These, in turn, promote the availability of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is important in the maintenance of healthy vascular function and has also been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory molecule in rodents [</span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352385919300209"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22362817/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants associated with head pain produce enzymes with reduced activity.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rs1801133 </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variant &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele produces an enzyme with 40-70% reduced activity [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7647779/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;CC&rsquo; genotype of rs1801131 has been associated with a 60% reduction in enzyme activity in comparison to &lsquo;AA&rsquo; carriers [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9545395/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reduced MTHFR enzyme activity may reduce folate availability and increase homocysteine levels. Excess homocysteine may cause vascular dysfunction by reducing the availability of nitric oxide, which can lead to excessive vasodilation [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5539954/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20219129/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757723/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supporting this theory is the fact that a group of individuals suffering from migraine with aura were found to have increased blood vessel dilation. However, further research is required to confirm the mechanism behind </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and migraine [</span><a href="https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2377-10-18"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Impaired MTHFR enzyme activity associated with <em>MTHFR </em>variants may increase the risk of head pain by causing vascular dysfunction, leading to inflammation.</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Results For Head Pain</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*5224755016908473*</strong></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">SNP Summary and Table</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>MTHFR</em></strong><strong> rs1801133</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AA&rsquo; = Increased risk of migraine with aura [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120667/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;AG&rsquo; = Increased risk of migraine with aura [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120667/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = Normal risk of migraine</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">41% of individuals carry at least one copy of the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?db=core;r=1:11795821-11796821;v=rs1801133;vdb=variation;vf=1165994"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>MTHFR</em></strong><strong> rs1801131</strong></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GG&rsquo; = Increased risk of migraine without aura [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;GT&rsquo; = Normal risk of migraine [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31045246/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;TT&rsquo; = Normal risk of migraine</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">7% of individuals carry two copies of the &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele [</span><a href="https://useast.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Population?db=core;r=1:11793919-11794919;v=rs1801131;vdb=variation;vf=1165834"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*6178257425198492*</strong></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recommendations To Reduce Your Risk Of Headaches And Migraines</span></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>*4592446493180357*</strong></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lifestyle</span></h3> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whilst exercise is suggested to have positive effects on head pain, it may be associated with a short term increase of homocysteine. Remaining adequately hydrated during exercise has been shown to prevent this increase in carriers of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants such as rs1801133. So, if you carry a risk variant and are going to exercise, it is especially important to remain hydrated [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24770903/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30425380/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26876813/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30264170/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Long-term regular exercise may decrease homocysteine levels [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21707858/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Long term regular exercise may be beneficial for variant carriers, however it is important to stay hydrated whilst doing so.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diet</span></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Food sources of folate</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Folate is generally less available in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MTHFR</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variant carriers, and adequate folate intake is associated with lower migraine frequency [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25598270/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dietary folate is the best way to increase folate availability. The recommended daily folate intake is 400 micrograms for adults and 600 micrograms for pregnant women. Folate is found in most fresh fruits and vegetables, including:&nbsp;</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spinach</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Asparagus</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lettuce</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avocado</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Broccoli</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bananas</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cooking process can eliminate as much as 90% of the folate content of foods. Therefore, it's best to eat plant sources of folate raw whenever possible [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC320966/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Food Sources of Vitamin B12</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele of rs1801133 has been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency has also been associated with an increased risk of headaches [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29520674/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29520674/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most people get the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/vitamin-b12/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">vitamin B12</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> they need from their diet. For those with low levels, incorporating more vitamin B12-rich foods into their diet may help [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products. Some of the best natural sources include [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]:</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beef liver</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fish and other seafood</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dairy products</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some other food products, such as breakfast cereals, are often fortified with vitamin B12 [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plant-based foods generally do not contain vitamin B12. Vegans are typically advised to take supplements or eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 to avoid any deficiencies [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">People with <em>MTHFR </em>variants may wish to increase their dietary intake of folate and vitamin B12, as this may reduce the risk of of developing head pain.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supplements</span></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avoid Synthetic </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/16-proven-benefits-vitamin-b9-folate-folic-acid/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Folic Acid</span></a></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most folate supplements come in the form of folic acid; meanwhile, many fortified foods have folic acid added to them. Unfortunately, if you have reduced MTHFR activity, you cannot properly metabolize folic acid, and it may accumulate in your bloodstream. This may mask vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms, leading to nerve damage [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745533/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-Consumer/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5059208/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209196/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Consider taking natural folate supplements (5-MTHF)</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Naturally-occurring folate supplements have been shown to improve folate deficiency. These supplements carry important advantages over synthetic folic acid. 5-MTHF is well-absorbed, even when gastrointestinal pH is altered, and the amount that circulates in the blood at any one time is not affected by metabolic defects. Taking 5-MTHF also prevents the potential negative effects of folic acid accumulation in the bloodstream [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24494987/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin B12 supplements</span></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another way to increase Vitamin B12 levels and combat potential deficiency is by taking dietary supplements, which are available over-the-counter. Supplements may contain slightly different forms of vitamin B12, such as cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin. These different forms generally have the same effectiveness [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Natural folate and vitamin B12 supplements may reduce the negative effects of <em>MTHFR </em>variants, however synthetic folic acid should be avoided.</span></p>
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278 | content_learn_more_6178257425198492_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your MTHFR gene may be associated with decreased MTHFR enzyme activity. You are also at an increased risk of developing headaches and migraines. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall headache and migraine risk — just one gene related to it. Read on to find out more.
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rsIDs = rs1801133,rs1801131
rsStatus = rs1801133,MTHFR,chr1,11796321,G,A,C,,40,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs1801131,MTHFR,chr1,11794419,T,G,,,24,15,HET
