MTHFR is a key gene in methylation. Methylation is a major pathway in phase 2 liver detoxification of oestrogen. Issues with the methylation pathway can lead to reduced methylation of oestrogen causing a build up of unwanted oestrogens and symptoms of oestrogen dominance.
There are so many links between MTHFR and histamine intolerance that it deserves it own blog post. I’ve broken it all down for you step by step.
The link between histamine and oestrogen is very interesting and extremely important to understand when treating women’s hormonal conditions.
SIBO is a major cause of histamine intolerance. In SIBO the DAO enzyme that degrades histamine in the gut gets overloaded with histamine causing many symptoms including headaches, itchy skin, flushing, reflux and much more.
PMDD improves significantly by treating MTHFR and methylation issues. Clinically, I’ve seen supplementing with SAMe can eliminate premenstrual dysphoric disorder within one cycle.
There are 3 different types of PCOS – Insulin Resistance PCOS, Inflammatory PCOS and Pill Induced PCOS
Evidence suggests that the consumption of folic acid can be harmful and can’t fix a folate deficiency due to an MTHFR mutation.
Histamine is a major cause of anxiety. Women are more at risk as oestrogen increases histamine in the brain.
Histamine is a major cause of migraines. Histamine increases nitric oxide, which causes vasodilation (ie expansion) of blood vessels. Vasodilation increases blood flow to the brain. The nervous system responds to this increased blood flow with symptoms of pain, flashing lights, double vision, vertigo, increased sensitivity to light, smells and noise as well as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Histamine contributes to the pain and inflammation in bladder conditions including painful bladder syndrome / interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC). Reducing your histamine load can provide significant relief of symptoms.