MTHFR Gene Mutation Symptoms

An enzyme that can break the amino acid homocysteine down is called MTHFR, or methylenetetrahydrofolate. This enzyme can mutate, and this will result in an enzyme that doesn’t function normally or not at all.

It is okay if you are not familiar with this topic because everything you need to know you can find in this guide. We all have the MTHFR gene, which we have inherited from our parents. We have two genes like this, to be more specific, one from the mother and from the father.

The problem starts appearing after one of these genes start mutating. This can happen to one of the genes, and this is called heterozygous. The other scenario is mutation occurs on both of the genes, and that is called homozygous. Read more on the following link: https://www.healthline.com/health/mthfr-gene.

Health conditions from mutation of MTHFR

Although this gene mutation can cause different health conditions, there are a couple that appears to be most common. The first thing that usually happens if there is such a mutation is birth abnormalities. After that, other health conditions that surfaced are glaucoma, cancer, or mental health disorder.

Why does this happen?

To understand why this happens, you need to study a little bit about the anatomy of our bodies. This gene, when mutating, affects our bodies in a way that doesn’t allow us to process amino acids. This, on the other hand, is a cause of a series of health conditions such as scoliosis, neuropathy, ataxia, stroke, etc.

What are the most common symptoms?

Like everything else in life, the symptoms vary in each individual. Depending on the mutation, people can experience different things. How do people test this? A blood test can show a slight increase in the presence of homocysteine.

If there is a presence like this in the blood, the person has a condition called homocysteinemia. This condition damages the vessels in which blood travels. This could potentially make blood clots and lead to serious health problems.

So, in brief, MTHFR gene mutation symptoms that one might experience can be seizures, blood clots, numbness in a particular body part, delays in development, or problems with coordination.

Contact a doctor 

If you experience one of the symptoms mentioned above, contact your doctor. He or she will tell you what the next step is. They will closely review your medical history and get you the proper testing.

Usually, every doctor suggests that you run a blood test. As previously stated, this mutation can appear on the blood results. However, there is genetic testing, but many advise against it. This is because the process requires screening and, in many cases, where there are no strong expressed symptoms, mutations like this are not a big risk for our health condition.

What can I do?

For a condition like this, a specially designed medical treatment is not a must. Many patients don’t require treatment, and they can resolve this issue all by themselves. Contacting your doctor will help you understand what you need.

The usual treatment for patients with elevated levels of homocysteine is taking vitamins such as B-12 and B-6, folic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, etc. Changing your diet and being more active could also contribute to improvement.

These steps are quite simple, and they will lead you to a better life. Make sure you contact your doctor and ask what he or she has to say.

How to change my diet?

There are a lot of articles on this subject that you might find helpful. Most of them talk about food choices and the importance of good exercise. If you wish to change your diet, try including proteins such as peas or beans, fruits, and fruit juice from banana, orange, tomato, etc.

It is advised that you also increase your veggie intake. You need to bring some green to your plate to help control this gene mutation. Some examples of good green veggies are broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, etc. Read more here.

You won’t be on a restricted diet, as you might notice. Although the food choices are wide, you need to focus on avoiding a diet that includes food with synthetic folate. It is time to start reading labels on food to watch your vitamin levels.