Do you have the anxiety gene?
Not so long ago, my fulltime job was working in the Vitamin section of one of the busier pharmacies here in Perth. Customers would often comment on the shelves and shelves devoted to natural health. We must have had one of the best selections for natural health supplements in our local area, even so customers would come in looking for something we didn’t have and I would go out of my way to source the products for them.
Demand goes in waves depending on who has been talking about what, and as you can imagine, it’s not an easy job to keep up with the latest product that has gone viral. One supplement that caught public attention earlier this year, has made a difference for many people with anxiety. It’s related to Folic Acid – that’s right, Folic Acid or Vitamin B9, the one so many of women take during pregnancy to make sure the baby’s spine and brain develop normally. Folic Acid is the synthetically made version of Folate which is found in leafy green vegetables. The Government considers Folic Acid to be so important that it’s been mandatory since 2009 that it be added to wheat flour used to make bread.
All well and good for many people, and the statistics look good when you look at the drop in the number of babies born with Spina Bifida. However, new research into genes, particularly a gene called MTHFR, has highlighted why it is an issue for quite a high proportion of people – people who suffer anxiety, depression and sometimes weight issues. Simply put, people with this gene have trouble converting Folic acid into the active forms – Folinic Acid and Methyl Folate, and these active forms are essential for making brain substances in the right amounts so that we feel happy and resilient. Some people find that bypassing the conversion process taking these activated forms as supplements will help improve their mood.
But what happens to the Folic Acid that’s in our food and supplements, when we can’t convert it?
It builds up and jams the same metabolic pathways that it is supposed to be feeding. Apparently the natural form Folate doesn’t do this, the body is able to process Folate quite well, it is the synthetic version - Folic Acid that causes the problems.
How do you know if you have the gene?
Well you could spend some money and have a genetic profile test done. I had mine done through an American site called 23andme and then had the data analysed by a couple of different online experts. Around here there locally (I’m just near Fremantle) are some naturopaths and nutritional doctors who will organise a test through an Australian company - Nutrigenomics. I like 23andme because it gives you some really fascinating ancestral information as well, like what percentage of my DNA is actually Neanderthal, and that while I’m mostly Northern European, just a tiny, tiny amount of my DNA comes from the Far East.
If you don’t want to spend money on the test or are worried about sharing information about your DNA with an unknown group of people, a good start would be to avoid Folic Acid. Read the list of ingredients on the labels of the packaged foods you eat and make sure you’re not eating anything that contains Folic Acid. That’s going to be most wheat based products, but if you take vitamins check those as well. That will mean avoiding most multivitamins and most supplements that contain B group vitamins. See if it makes a difference to how you feel. It’s not the total solution but it’s a start to understanding yourself and your unique reactions.
Join one of the online support groups –- just google search around MTHFR support, there are a lot of intelligent people with this issue and they’ll give you lots of information, usually for free. I would do a fair bit of research or find a professional to help you before deciding to try one of the activated forms. For some people taking the supplement can be like turning on a light in a dark room but then there are others for whom it creates a whole new set of problems.
Now don’t get me wrong. This gene is not the only reason people get anxious, and even if you have the gene, it doesn’t mean it’s going to cause you a problem. Our genetics are much more complicated than being able to tag one gene and give it responsibility for one issue. Other nutritional factors impact on mood and anxiety – Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, other B group vitamins, just to name a few. In reality there is no one gene that can claim title to the label ‘the Anxiety Gene’ and using a supplement isn’t the only way to manage this gene if it is part of your struggles with mood.
My clients, both with MTHFR and without are finding Kinesiology an invaluable stress management system. Please call me to book your appointment and begin managing your anxiety now.
For gene testing and ancestry information: 23 and Me
Ben Lynch's site is one of the best resources I have found about MTHFR
