The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka - 42. How Your MTHFR Gene Impacts ADHD with Gary Brecka | Ultimate Human Short

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today we're going to take a little dive into the science behind ADHD and a gene called MTHFR and how our diet can play a pivotal role in managing these symptoms. Hey guys, we are on to one of my favorite, favorite topics because this was a plague of mine for decades. And that is the world that moves at lightning speed and it is called ADHD. So attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the challenge that takes over people's daily reality. Now MTHFR, as it probably seems, is not the motherfucker gene. It is methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase, and it is the gene that is responsible for the conversion of folic acid and some of its derivatives into the usable

Starting point is 00:01:01 form or the active methylated nutrient called methylfolate. So today we're exploring a fascinating link between genetics, diet, and ADHD. So let's embark on this journey together. The MTHFR gene, short for methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase, is not just a mouthful to say, it is a very critical piece of our biological puzzle. You've heard me talk many, many times about methylation and the role that our genes play in how we develop our personality, how we develop mood, our emotional state, our mental clarity, our short-term recall, and MTHFR is one of the genes at the root of all of these. In fact, MTHFR is one of the most common gene deficiencies in the world.

Starting point is 00:01:45 You will hear from some clinicians that it has no impact on health and is absolutely harmless, and then you will see clinical evidence and peer-reviewed randomized trials that prove otherwise. So this gene is responsible for an enzyme, and it helps in a process that takes an amino acid and converts folate into its active form called methylfolate, which is essential for DNA production, repair, and for neurotransmitter synthesis. And remember that neurotransmitters, which are synthesized very often in the gut, are the main basis of our mood. They drive behavior. They control our emotional state. They are involved in our processing speed.

Starting point is 00:02:27 And just about every physiochemical process in the brain is neurotransmitter-based. So methylation is a critical biochemical process that occurs billions of times every second in our body. I think it occurs about 300 billion times a day, but influencing a wide range of physiological functions. So at its core, methylation involves the transfer of a methyl group. It's also called one carbon metabolism, a simple methyl group, which is a carbon and three hydrogens

Starting point is 00:02:58 attaching or detaching essentially from another molecule, regulating or down-regulating that molecule's impact on the human body. So from one molecule to another, you can have a dramatic impact on how that substrate or how that molecule causes the body to react. The process is essential for DNA production, for repair, for the regulation of gene expression, for detoxification at both a cellular level and in our blood, and for the metabolism of various substances within the body. Now, research has shown that variations in this gene, the MTHFR gene, can reduce our ability to metabolize folate effectively. Folate, by the way, is one of the most prevalent nutrients in the human diet. So this inefficiency can impact our brain's neurotransmitters

Starting point is 00:03:46 like the dopamine and serotonin production, which are crucial for mood regulation, focus, and controlling impulsivity, all areas affected by ADHD. Understanding the connection, this sorts to open avenues for managing ADHD symptoms, not just with medication, but also with diet and lifestyle change is

Starting point is 00:04:06 something I am an enormous fan of. So what can we do about it? Diet plays a key role, focusing on foods that are rich in natural folate, like leafy greens, legumes, fruits, along with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants can really support brain health and potentially improve ADHD symptoms. And there is an emerging body of evidence that says removing folic acid, the synthetic form of folate, which does not occur naturally in nature, does not exist anywhere on the surface of the earth, can also have a positive impact on ADD and ADHD symptoms. Remember that folic acid is often masked on the back of your labels, on your ingredient labels as fortified or enriched. So if you suffer from ADD or ADHD, do yourself a favor, try this very simple trick. It is harmless. Get the fortified or enriched foods out of your diet or your kids' diets for seven days and see how they behave.

Starting point is 00:05:07 Fortified or enriched foods that are commonly found all over our grocery shelves are going to be things like white flour, white rice, white bread, white pasta, and cereals and grains of any kind. Remember, when you're picking up that cereal box and it says fortified or enriched, that means it's been sprayed with folic acid. So, you know, focus on consuming foods that are rich in B vitamins, which are vital for methylation, including leafy green vegetables like spinach. I prefer that you steam these vegetables before you eat them because you can reduce things like oxalates. You can actually make them easier for the body to digest. But kale, Swiss chard, and legumes like lentils,

Starting point is 00:05:45 chickpeas, and beans, nuts and seeds, particularly sunflower seeds and almonds, these foods help ensure adequate levels of these nutrients that are necessary for effective methylation, and in most cases are easily processed by the body if they are prepared properly. Hey guys, if you've been watching the Ultimate Human Podcast for any length of time, you know that one thing I do not do is push products. I do not just let any advertiser into this space because I believe that the products that appear on the Ultimate Human Podcast should be things that I use every day in my life to improve my own physiology. One of them is something called the Echo Go Plus. The Echo Go Plus is a hydrogen water generator that you can take on the go. You essentially take the top off of this bottle, you pour bottled water in this,

Starting point is 00:06:31 and repeatedly it will make high part per million hydrogen water. You press this little button, you'll see these bubbles going up in the water. That's hydrogen being created in the water. There are all kinds of peer-reviewed published clinical studies on the benefits of hydrogen water including reduced inflammation, better absorption of your supplements, better absorption of your foods, better balance of the stomach acid and it feeds an entire class of bacteria in your gut. Hydrogen water in my opinion is the most beneficial water that you can drink. And now you can take it wherever you go. You can go to echo, E-C-H-O, H2O.com. That's echo, E-C-H-O, H2O.com. Enter the code ULTIMATE10 for a discount. Echo H2O, enter the code ULTIMATE10 for a discount.

Starting point is 00:07:21 Additionally, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, which are really crucial for brain health. Remember to try to pick the line-caught or wild-caught version of these, not the farm-raised version. You know, recent studies are indicating that a lot of farm-raised fish, not all of them, swim around. They recirculate the fish's feces, which has high amounts of toxic metals. When the fish rebreathe this, it can actually be embedded in their meat. So by eating healthy line-caught or wild-caught salmon, mackerel, and sardines, you're reducing

Starting point is 00:07:56 the inflammatory response and supporting really healthy cognitive function. So look for antioxidant rich foods like berries, which I'm a huge fan of, nuts. I would avoid green tea if you have a gene mutation called COMPT, C-O-M-T, as the quercetin in green tea can actually aggravate this. So if you're one of those people that lays down to go to sleep at night and as your environment quiets, your mind wakes up, you may actually want to try avoiding green tea. Lower the quercetin intake. Do not supplement with quercetin and see if that improves your waking mind at night. We can control and combat oxidative stress and key aspects of maintaining brain health and function by following some really simple guidelines like regulating the amount of folic acid we intake in our diet. Whole grains

Starting point is 00:08:42 like quinoa, brown rice, and oatmeal are also recommended for providing a steady energy and support blood sugar levels, but you have to choose the organic, non-enriched, non-fortified version of these foods. Conversely, it's advisable to avoid processed food and junk foods. I think everybody knows that, but these are high in additives and preservatives, artificial colors, which are actually now proven to be antimicrobials, which might exacerbate health issues and actually make your MTHFR symptoms worse. There is a direct link between high sugar intake and poor MTHFR regulation that actually may exacerbate ADD and ADHD. So high sugar foods and drinks should also be limited as, you know,

Starting point is 00:09:26 the excess sugar leads to energy spikes and crashes, also affects our insulin levels and our mood and our concentration. So additionally, if we moderate our caffeine consumption, I don't have a big issue with caffeine. I think caffeine can be very beneficial. An average cup of coffee has between 85 and 200 milligrams of caffeine. I haven't seen any clinical indication that caffeine long-term has any detrimental effects other than when it is consumed in high amounts or when you are drinking non-organic versions of coffee, which can be high in mold toxicity. And they can also take the versions that are decaffeinated and decaffeinate those with

Starting point is 00:10:05 formaldehyde. So if you are a coffee drinker, that is one place to spend money on organic nutrients. Most of us have a very difficult time meeting our protein needs and certain protein sources like whey protein and others can be as little as 20% absorbable. This is 99% absorbable and it has all of the essential amino acids that the body needs to build lean muscle, to recover, to improve our exercise performance, and most importantly, to repair after we have intense exercise. So this is called Perfect Amino by Body Health. It's, like I said, 99% absorbable. It only has two has two calories eventually the caloric intake has virtually no caloric intake it will not break a fast it tastes amazing you mix it in water I take this literally every single morning if you're working out in a fasted state you have to

Starting point is 00:10:57 take a full spectrum amino acid prior to your workout to preserve your lean muscle and make sure that you're recovering properly and again it will not break your fast so the caloric impact is virtually zero you get all the full spectrum amino acids it tastes wonderful i use it every single day you can go to bodyhealth.com forward slash ultimate that's bodyhealth.com forward slash ultimate and look for the perfect aminos they actually come in capsules if you're on the go or it becomes in several flavors that they make in a powder which I love. It's flavored with natural means of flavoring so there's no artificial sweeteners in here. So this is one of my absolute favorite products. Give it a try. If you're working out at all you need a full

Starting point is 00:11:42 spectrum amino acid go to bodyhealth.com forward slash ultimate that's bodyhealth.com forward slash ultimate i love their lab tested products you can actually see the absorption rate for all their products they've got great electrolyte protein combinations my favorite is the perfect aminos bodyhealth.com forward slash ultimate and now back to the Ultimate Human Podcast. So alcohol, as you know, is known for its negative impact on several body systems. People with MTHFR, especially affected by alcohol because the acetyl aldehyde can even change the pH of the blood, making the pH of the blood a little bit more acidic, including the brain. So we should really

Starting point is 00:12:21 consume these in moderation or avoid them altogether. So interestingly, the link between MTHFR and ADHD is not just theoretical. Studies including significant meta-analyses by Gio et al in 2018 have found a clear association between these MTHFR polymorphisms and increased risk of ADHD. Furthermore, addressing elevated homocysteine levels, an amino acid in the blood that rises when we have certain inabilities to break this amino acid down, there's some promise that these are linked not only to hypertensive episodes,

Starting point is 00:13:00 but the supplementation may lower homocysteine and lessen the impact of ADD and ADHD symptoms. Simple things like adding trimethylglycine, methylfolate to your diet in some of these clinical studies have been shown to lessen ADD and ADHD symptoms. As we've seen today, the intersection of genetics and nutrition and brain health is complex, but it's incredibly powerful by understanding the role that the MTHFR gene plays. We can incorporate specific dietary strategies and make dietary choices that make proactive steps towards getting ADD out of our life a reality.

Starting point is 00:13:39 So thank you for joining me. Together, we're unlocking the secrets to health and the potential of diet and lifestyle changes in all kinds of challenges that we face in modern society that we chalk up to a consequence of aging, but may not be a consequence of aging at all. That may be a simple consequence of nutrient deficiencies. So until next time, stay curious and stay healthy.

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka - 42. How Your MTHFR Gene Impacts ADHD with Gary Brecka | Ultimate Human Short

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