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 ultimate human 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 and now MTHFR as it probably seems uh is not the Gene it is methylene tetr hydrolate reductase and it is the gene that is responsible for the conversion of folic acid and some of its derivatives into the usable 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 and how we develop our personal ity 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 you will hear from some clinicians that it has no impact on health and is absolutely uh 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 and just about every physiochemical process in the brain is neurotransmitter based so methylation is a critical biochemical process that occurs in billions of times every second in our bodies 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 attaching or detaching essentially from another molecule regulating or downregulating 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 um for the regulation of gene expression for detoxification at both a cellular level and in our blood and for the metabolism of very 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 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 you know sorts to open avenues for for managing ADHD symptomss not just with medication but also with diet and lifestyle change is 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 7 days and see how they behave 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 con 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 Shard and legumes like lentils 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 the 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 echoo plus the echoo 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 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 h2o.com that's Echo eoh h2o.com enter the code ultimate 10 for a discount Echo H2O enter the code ultimate 10 for a discount 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 CAU 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 C or wild C salmon mackerel and sardines you're reducing 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 comp tea coom te as the quatin and 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 quatin intake do not supplement with quatin and see if that improves your waking mind at night we can control and 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 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 nonfortified version of these Foods conversely it's invisible to avoid processed food and junk food 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 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 um I think 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 longterm has any detrimental effects other than when it is consumed in high amounts or when you are drinking nonorganic versions of coffee which can be high in mold toxicity and they can also take the versions that are decaffeinated and decaffeinate those with from Malahide 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 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 take a full spectrum of 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 of the full spectrum amino acids it tastes wonderful I use it every single day you can go to bodyhealth.com slate that's bodyhealth.com slul imate 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 makeing a powder which I love it's flavored with natural um uh 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 spectrum amino acid go to bodyhealth.com Ultimate that's bodyhealth.com timate I love their lab tested products you can actually see the absorption rate for all of their products they've got great electrolyte protein combinations my favorite is the perfect aminos bodyhealth.com 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 acetal alahh 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 consume these in moderation or avoid them all together so interestingly the link between MTHFR and ADH h d is not just theoretical studies including significant metaanalyses by go at all 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 are linked there's some some promise that these are linked not only to hypertensive episodes but this supplementation May lower homosysteine and lessen the impact of ADD and ADHD symptoms simple things like adding trimethyl glycine methylfolate to your diet in some of these clinical studies have been shown to lesson ADD and ADHD symptoms as we 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 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