While taking supplements can help promote methylation support, many healthcare professionals have become aware of the potential risks these can have on their patient's overall health and wellness. Diet and lifestyle changes are safe and effective ways to promote methylation support without the side effects of supplementation. Doctors and functional medicine practitioners utilize diet and lifestyle changes alongside methylation nutrient supplements to improve methylation support, especially for people who do not tolerate methyl donors. Diet and lifestyle changes can also be utilized as a stand-alone treatment or with other interventions.
Nutrition and Lifestyle Modifications for Methylation
As demonstrated in the figure above, DNA methylation status and activity can be affected by a variety of factors, including genes, nutrient co-factors, nutrient substrates, dietary patterns, food-derived epigenetic modulators, drugs and/or medications, microbiome, toxins, stress/resilience, exercise, inflammation and/or oxidative stress as well as methyl donor depletion. Methylation support through diet and lifestyle changes have been demonstrated to improve DNA methylation status and activity. According to a 2014 systematic review and meta-analysis, food-sourced folate had a protective effect on breast cancer risk.
Moreover, the research study also demonstrated that increased food folate intake is associated with decreased risk of sex-hormone receptor-negative breast cancer in premenopausal women. No known side effects have been determined from food folate and methylation nutrients, as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Furthermore, according to a 16-week placebo-controlled trial, an increase of 200 mcg/d in folate from folate-rich foods, folic acid supplements, and 5mTHF demonstrated no statistical significance between the groups in lowering homocysteine. Folic acid (FA) was more effective at raising plasma folates than 5mTHF, however, 5mTHF was more effective at raising RBC folates. Healthcare professionals should include food folate bioavailability for methylation support.
Several research studies have demonstrated potential risks for certain types of supplementation for methylation support, however, diet and lifestyle changes can help promote methylation support without experiencing the side effects of too many supplements. The purpose of the following article is to discuss how nutrition and lifestyle modifications can help promote methylation support. It's fundamental to understand how nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, supplements, and medicines, can improve DNA methylation and well-being. - Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight
Smoothies and Juices for Methylation Support
While many healthcare professionals can recommend diet and lifestyle changes to improve methylation support, there are several options you can try yourself at home. As described above, methylation support supplementation should be determined by a healthcare professional. Smoothies and juices are a fast and easy way to include all the necessary nutrients you need for methylation support without any side-effects. The smoothies and juices below are part of the Methylation Diet Food Plan.
Sea Green Smoothie Servings: 1 Cook time: 5-10 minutes
- 1/2 cup cantaloupe, cubed
- 1/2 banana
- 1 handful of kale or spinach
- 1 handful of Swiss chard
- 1/4 avocado
- 2 teaspoons spirulina powder
- 1 cup of water
- 3 or more ice cubes
Berry Bliss Smoothie Servings: 1 Cook time: 5-10 minutes
- 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, preferably wild)
- 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seed
- 1 tablespoons almonds
- Water (to desired consistency)
- Ice cubes (optional, may omit if using frozen blueberries)
Sweet and Spicy Juice Servings: 1 Cook time: 5-10 minutes
- 1 cup honeydew melons
- 3 cups spinach, rinsed
- 3 cups Swiss chard, rinsed
- 1 bunch cilantro (leaves and stems), rinsed
- 1-inch knob of ginger, rinsed, peeled and chopped
- 2-3 knobs whole turmeric root (optional), rinsed, peeled and chopped
Ginger Greens Juice Servings: 1 Cook time: 5-10 minutes
- 1 cup pineapple cubes
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, rinsed, peeled and chopped
- 3 cups kale, rinsed and roughly chopped or ripped
- 5 cups Swiss chard, rinsed and roughly chopped or ripped
Zesty Beet Juice Servings: 1 Cook time: 5-10 minutes
- 1 grapefruit, peeled and sliced
- 1 apple, washed and sliced
- 1 whole beet, and leaves if you have them, washed and sliced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, rinsed, peeled and chopped
Protein Power Smoothie Serving: 1 Cook time: 5 minutes
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1/2 banana
- 1 kiwi, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of cardamom
- Non-dairy milk or water, enough to achieve desired consistency
ProLon® Fasting Mimicking Diet
Balanced methylation support can be achieved through proper nutrition. The ProLon® fasting mimicking diet offers a 5-day meal program which has been individually packed and labeled to serve the foods you need for the FMD in precise quantities and combinations. The meal program is made up of ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare, plant-based foods, including bars, soups, snacks, supplements, a drink concentrate, and teas. The products are scientifically formulated and great tasting. Before starting the ProLon® fasting mimicking diet, 5-day meal program, please make sure to talk to a healthcare professional to find out if the FMD is right for you. The ProLon® fasting mimicking diet can help promote methylation support, among a variety of other healthy benefits.
Many doctors and functional medicine practitioners can recommend nutritional advice and/or guidelines to help improve DNA methylation. Proper diet and lifestyle changes can ultimately help improve DNA methylation. Nutrition and lifestyle modifications can ultimately help promote methylation support without side effects of supplements, according to research studies. The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal and nervous health issues as well as functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topic Discussion: Acute Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most prevalent causes of disability and missed days at work worldwide. Back pain attributes to the second most common reason for doctor office visits, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience back pain at least once throughout their life. Your spine is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles, among other soft tissues. Injuries and/or aggravated conditions, such as herniated discs, can eventually lead to symptoms of back pain. Sports injuries or automobile accident injuries are often the most frequent cause of back pain, however, sometimes the simplest of movements can have painful results. Fortunately, alternative treatment options, such as chiropractic care, can help ease back pain through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, ultimately improving pain relief.
Formulas for Methylation Support
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