Under-Methylation: The #1 Cause of Depression
Table of Contents
The MTHFR Gene & Methylation
Am I Undermethylating?
The #1 Cause of Depression Found
Fixing Undermethylation with Nutrient Therapy!
Expert Support for Undermethylation
Today I’m going to break down the most common cause of depression, the symptoms to look for, and at the end of this post I’ll share what nutrients I use to help my clients feel better naturally!
The MTHFR Gene & Methylation
Lot’s of people know about the MTHFR gene by now (or Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase.) I’m sure you’ve heard of this genetic mutation, and maybe even were told to take methyl folate to correct this imbalance. Well that’s not quite the whole picture...
MTHFR is a gene that kickstarts a crucial biochemical pathway in your body called the Methylation Cycle. Methylation is simply the process of donating a ‘methyl group’—think of it as a tiny spark plug—to over 200 functions in the body. Ideally, the Methylation Cycle is working at around 100%, and can hum along happily, helping you thrive by:
Turning the nutrients you eat into actual usable fuel
Producing serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin
Detoxing chemicals and heavy metals
Repairing DNA
Balancing your hormones (like estrogen and progesterone)
Breaking down histamine
If this cycle is under-performing, (which can happen with a MTHFR mutation, gut infections, or other toxin or stress load) these body functions can slow way down. We call this UNDER-methylation. A MTHFR mutation (like C677T and A1298C SNP) isn’t a guarantee you’ll have undermethylation, but it does signify that you’ll be more prone to it.
With undermethylation, you may be more vulnerable to depression and anxiety, allergies, ADHD, autism, PMS, a sluggish liver and gallbladder, mold illness and energy issues, because the Methylation Cycle has been compromised. The main reason slow methylation or ‘UNDER-methylation causes depression and anxiety is because it creates low activity at our serotonin and dopamine receptors.
Am I Undermethylating?
We can run a methylation panel or check your whole blood histamine to learn if you’re currently undermethylating, but symptoms are still one of the best ways to identify this imbalance.
So what are the symptoms and traits to look for? Here is a list I use in my own holistic mental wellness practice. You won’t have every single symptom or diagnosis, but these are the clues we see most commonly when your Methylation Cycle needs help speeding back up!
Undermethylation Common Symptoms and Traits:
☐ Chronic anxiety or depression
☐ Calm on the outside, stressed on the inside
☐ Seasonal allergies or histamine intolerance (because histamine isn’t breaking down)
☐ Perfectionistic, high achiever, competitive- past or present
☐ Headaches or migraines
☐ Low pain tolerance
☐ Hard time turning your brain off at night
☐ Dark, intrusive, or negative thoughts
☐ OCD tendencies or rigid routines/habits
☐ Schizo-affective diagnosis and symptoms
☐ ADHD and autism
☐ Addictions
☐ Always tired and hard to wake up in the mornings
☐ Really sensitive to medications or even supplements (can’t detox fast enough)
☐ Good reaction to SSRI’s
☐ Adverse reactions to benzodiazepines (lowers serotonin + dopamine in UM people)
In kids, undermethylation can look like:
☐ OCD behaviors (hand washing, repetitive counting etc)
☐ ODD (oppositional defiant behaviors)
☐ Angry/rage outbursts
☐ Autism spectrum traits and behaviors (over 98% of the 6500 autistic children in the Walsh Research Institute case studies were undermethylated)
☐ Seem calm on the outside but actually quite tense or anxious inwardly
The #1 Cause of Depression Found
Dr. Walsh (from the Walsh Research Institute) discovered something really incredible after decades of researching the connection between nutrient deficiency and mental health. According to data from 3600+ patient case studies, he and his team of scientists and doctors found that around 38% of people who had depression also have an under-methylation issue!
This was a HUGE piece to the puzzle of solving depression naturally, and the top cause of depression they found. The team also successfully identified 4 more biochemical imbalances that commonly cause depression, which are all covered in this article.
Nutrient therapy has helped thousands of people struggling with undermethylation, by focusing on speeding methylation up.
“In [Dr. Walsh’s] years of experience, he says that more than 80% of people with ADHD and depression report significant improvement within three months and that more than 70% can eventually wean off psychiatric medication without a return of symptoms.”
Fixing Undermethylation With Nutrient Therapy!
Here are a few of the top natural nutrients I use to help my clients when we identify undermethylation as their root-cause. Resolving undermethylation with the Walsh Protocol can take anywhere from 2-6 months in total to feel full results, which is why I also use amino acid therapy to reduce depression or anxiety right away, while we are correcting undermethylation.
Important Nutrients for Undermethylation:
SAMe OR Methionine -people usually tolerate one better than the other, you’re not meant to take both at once. These are methyl-donors, meaning they will help your Methylation Cycle speed up naturally.
B6 & Methylated B12- both important for mood and energy
Bonus Nutrients:
Inositol (for sleep, anxiety and OCD symptoms, can take before bed for sleep, or throughout the day for anxiety)
5-HTP or Tryptophan amino acids for quickly rebuilding serotonin for anxiety and depression symptoms (if also on mood medications like SSRI’s, take 6 hours away from your mood meds and work with a knowledgeable practitioner)
Vitamin D if low
NAC for OCD tendencies
Electrolytes- minerals like magnesium are needed and usually deficient in undermethylation (avoid folic acid or folate though, a common ingredient)
Nettle supplements and DAO digestive enzymes with meals to help if you have excess histamine symptoms/histamine intolerance
Food-as-Medicine and Lifestyle:
Organic as much as possible (since undermethylators don’t detox as well)
Filtered or spring water
Emphasize quality protein and healthy fats (important for energy and serotonin support)
Prioritize sleep and relaxing activities you enjoy
Things to Avoid:
Avoid folic acid which is in fortified cereals, breads and multivitamins (this is a harmful synthetic vitamin that stops you methylating normally)
Avoid even methylfolate (yep- the vitamin everyone online says to take if you have an MTHFR SNP) for now if you have depression, anxiety or low serotonin symptoms (even though it speeds methylation, it lowers serotonin production, eventually making you feel worse)
You might need to avoid high-histamine foods for awhile
Expert Support for Undermethylation
If you have anxiety or depression symptoms, it’s a good idea to cut out all that guesswork and run some simple targeted testing and assessments, then address the correct underlying imbalance. That way, you’re getting straight to the real cause and not spending years (like I did!) trying every different type of therapy imaginable to figure it all out.
Achieving mood balance should be simple, holistic and grounded in the intuitive wisdom of your body. At least that’s what I think! ;)
My Mood Alchemy program includes the exact testing and assessments to support undermethylation or any of the other of the 5 biotypes of depression and anxiety you may have! Book your intro call to get started:
Sources:
Dr. Courtney Snyder: https://www.courtneysnydermd.com/blog
DISCLAIMER:
This document is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go to https://www.nourishedbynature.co/disclaimer