How to Treat Overmethylation

Methylation is a fairly complex process, but basically, it’s the natural process where methyl groups (one carbon and three hydrogen atoms) are transferred throughout your body. This happens billions of times a day in your body, and it’s a large part of how your DNA sends and receives information. According to some holistic healers out there, overmethylation is a condition that can cause a variety of psychiatric and physical symptoms. While most medical experts agree this isn’t a diagnosis, a quick blood test should clear the air to help you identify if you need any kind of treatment, medication, or lifestyle changes. If you want to know more about how methylation works and why you may not need to worry about it, read on to learn more!

Question 1 of 6:

How do you reduce methylation?

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1
Go get your blood tested to see what you may need to treat. According to the proponents of overmethylation, you will have high levels of copper in your blood, low levels of zinc, high levels of estrogen, or a high homocysteine levels if you’re overmethylated. The treatment for these deficiencies is going to be unique depending on which hormones or nutrients are high/low, so get a blood test and talk to your doctor to see what you can do to fix this problem if there is one.^{[1]XTrustworthy SourceHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School's Educational Site for the PublicGo to source}
- Some people suggest that folate, zinc, vitamin C or vitamin B supplements will help with overmethylation, but there’s no way to know which one you’ll need to take without the blood test. On top of that, there may be some underlying condition causing your deficiency if you have one, so don’t do anything here without seeing a doctor first!^{[2]XTrustworthy SourceHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School's Educational Site for the PublicGo to source}
2
You may not have an issue with methylation. Your body definitely goes through methylation, but as a medical diagnosis there isn’t much evidence that you’ll need to treat or change your methylation.^{[3]XResearch source} Scientists working in the field of epigenetics are interested in methylation for gene therapy and mutation research purposes.^{[4]XResearch source} But methylation just describes the process of methyl groups being added to or removed from DNA; it may not be a recognized condition you can treat.^{[5]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}
- Your body goes through methylation millions of times a day. It’s possible for a gene to be overmethylated one minute, and undermethylated the other.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source}
- DNA methylation has definitely been implicated in certain mood disorders and conditions, but it’s probably not a causal relationship. In other words, while people with depression often have low levels of methylation, it’s not clear if those methylation levels are causing the depression or the other way around.^{[7]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}

Question 2 of 6:

What are the symptoms of overmethylation?

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There are hundreds of symptoms according to some holistic healers. Due to the fact that methylation occurs everywhere in your body thousands of times a day, people have pinned a wide array of symptoms on overmethylation. While some are likely unrelated to methylation, potential symptoms include:^{[8]XResearch source}
- Depression, anxiety, self-harm, low motivation, and low sex drive.
- Trouble sleeping, tinnitus, dry eyes or mouth, nervous legs, and hyperactivity.
- Adverse reactions to SSRIs, SAMe, estrogen, or antihistamines.
- An absence of seasonal allergies, intense belief in religion, musical ability, or a tendency to be overweight.

Question 3 of 6:

How can I improve symptoms of overmethylation?

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1
Live a healthy lifestyle to maintain standard methylation levels. The things you do can influence your genes. If you smoke, eat a poor diet, don’t sleep, or expose yourself to excess stress, it may change the way your body processes nutrients. Living a healthy lifestyle may help your body process information from your DNA more efficiently!^{[9]XResearch source}
- Getting sick can change your methylation levels as well, and staying healthy will definitely decrease the odds you get sick!^{[10]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source}
2
Work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan. Many of the symptoms of overmethylation can be tied to another diagnosis. See your doctor and talk to them about what you’re experiencing. Once they’ve identified the root cause of your symptoms, work with them to come up with a treatment plan that makes sense for you.^{[11]XTrustworthy SourceNational Institutes of HealthU.S. government agency for biomedical and public health researchGo to source}
- If you are concerned with overmethylation, jot down any questions you have ahead of time and bring your list in with you to the doctor’s office. They’ll walk you through any concerns that you have.
- Overmethylation has been tied to everything from schizophrenia and cancer, to the common cold and seasonal allergies.^{[12]XResearch source} If you do have an underlying condition, focus your energy on treating it directly.

Question 4 of 6:

What causes high methylation?

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1
Your methylation levels naturally change every day. Methylation is a genetic process, but it’s not the kind of genetic process that’s permanent or immutable. This is why scientists are so interested in studying methylation—so they can learn how to turn genes on or off! However, there are hundreds of things influencing this process in your body every day, and it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint any single behavior, process, or factor that causes changes to occur.^{[13]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source}
- You have 20,000-25,000 genes, and methylation plays a role in all of them.^{[14]XTrustworthy SourceMedlinePlusCollection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of MedicineGo to source} On top of that, methylation levels change millions of time a day. Certain genes could be overmethylated at the same time that other genes are undermethylated!
Your methylation levels are more likely to be stable and healthy the younger you are.^{[15]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source} Over time, the possibility for mutations and abnormalities in your genetic processes goes up.^{[16]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source} By doing your best to stay healthy, you may increase your odds that these changes occur over time.^{[17]XResearch source}

Question 5 of 6:

How do you know if you are undermethylated?

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There are certain blood test panels your doctor can order to take a look at certain methylation markers.^{[18]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source} Since methylation influences how your body processes nutrients and hormones, a basic blood test should still tell you everything you’d need to know—even if it doesn’t tell you anything about your methylation levels.^{[19]XResearch source}
2
You would need epigenetic profiling to get the full picture. To really get a look at your methylation levels in detail, you’d need to get your entire genome sequenced.^{[20]XResearch source} This isn’t necessarily something you’re likely to want to do, though. It’s extremely expensive, your insurance is unlikely to cover it, and you’re probably not going to get much of an insight from the results.^{[21]XResearch source}
- On top of this, your methylation levels change all the time depending on your behavior, age, and a variety of other factors.

Question 6 of 6:

Can you fix methylation problems?

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1
In theory, you can take SAMe supplements to boost methylation. Ask your doctor if they think you’d benefit from taking S-adenosyl-L-methionine supplement. This compound is produced naturally, and it may help your body stabilize methylation levels.^{[22]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source} However, there’s no conclusive evidence that SAMe supplements have a huge impact, and it may interact with other medications you take or negatively influence your health, so just talk to a doctor before you start taking it.^{[23]XResearch source}
- SAMe is a methyl donor, meaning that your body can use it to replace basically any missing nutrient for methylation processes.^{[24]XTrustworthy SourceOregon State University Linus Pauling InstituteResearch center dedicated to promoting optimal health through cutting-edge nutrition research and public outreachGo to source}
2
Eat a balanced diet to ensure that you get plenty of folates. There’s some evidence that people who get a lot of folates from food have healthier levels of methylation.^{[25]XResearch source} Aim to consume 200 micrograms of folate a day. If you’re looking for some high-folate foods, try broccoli, brussels sprouts, vegetables, peas, liver, or breakfast cereal!^{[26]XTrustworthy SourceNational Health Service (UK)Public healthcare system of the UKGo to source}
- Eat a healthy diet to ensure that you get enough folates. You won’t need to take a supplement so long as you eat a balance of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats.^{[27]XTrustworthy SourceNational Health Service (UK)Public healthcare system of the UKGo to source}
Changes to your methylation levels are not always a sign something is wrong. For example, a loss of methylation in a certain gene is associated with increased fetal growth and development.^{[28]XTrustworthy SourcePLOS ONEOnline peer-reviewed, open access scientific research journalGo to source} Overmethylation of a different set of genes is associated with tumor suppression.^{[29]XResearch source} The point is, even if your methylation levels are off, it may not necessarily mean you’re unhealthy and it may just be your body’s natural response to a stimuli.^{[30]XTrustworthy SourceProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOfficial peer-reviewed and multidisciplary journal for the National Academy of Sciences.Go to source}

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A lot of the info about overmethylation out there is based on the research of one holistic healing nonprofit. Unfortunately, many of their ideas have been debunked, although a lot of their claims continue to persist.^{[31]XResearch source}
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