By Vicky Godfrey: Naturopathic nutritional therapist, CNM, BANT, ANP, CHNC, NNA, Co founder: DNApal.

If you’ve spent any time reading about genetics and nutrition, chances are you’ve come across MTHFR.

It has become one of the best-known genes in the wellness world, and people can sometimes become quite worried when they discover they have an MTHFR variant.

But your genetics are rarely that simple.

At DNApal, we don’t believe one gene should be looked at in isolation. Your body works through interconnected pathways, with many different genes, nutrients and enzymes influencing what happens next.

And methylation is a perfect example.

So, what exactly is MTHFR?

MTHFR stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase.

It is an enzyme involved in folate metabolism and the one-carbon cycle — a network of biochemical reactions involved in methylation and homocysteine metabolism.

Two of the most commonly discussed MTHFR variants are often referred to as C677T and A1298C.

Having a variant doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with you. Genetic variants are common throughout the population, and the effect of any one variant needs to be considered alongside the rest of your genetics, your diet and your overall health.

This is where looking beyond MTHFR becomes important.

And then there’s COMT

COMT stands for catechol-O-methyltransferase.

COMT is an enzyme that uses a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) when metabolising catechol compounds, including neurotransmitters such as dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline.

So although MTHFR and COMT perform completely different jobs, they both intersect with methylation chemistry.

That’s why we’re much more interested in the whole pathway than simply asking:

“Do I have an MTHFR mutation?”

Think of methylation as a pathway, not an on/off switch

One of the easiest mistakes to make with genetic testing is thinking:

I have this variant = I have this problem.

It doesn’t work like that.

Imagine a motorway network.

MTHFR might influence one important junction, while COMT is operating somewhere further along another route. Other enzymes and genes are controlling different junctions, while nutrients provide some of the raw materials required to keep the whole network running.

Researchers have investigated interactions between MTHFR and COMT precisely because the biology of these pathways overlaps rather than existing as isolated genetic switches.

This is one of the reasons DNApal looks across a much broader genetic picture.

Why does methylation matter?

Methylation is happening throughout your body all the time.

In simple terms, it involves the transfer of a small chemical group called a methyl group from one molecule to another.

One-carbon metabolism contributes to the production of SAM, one of the body’s major methyl donors. COMT is one of the enzymes that uses SAM as part of its normal activity.

The pathway is connected to many areas of normal physiology, including folate and homocysteine metabolism.

But this is also why the phrase “poor methylator” can be misleading.

Methylation isn’t one single process that is either working or not working.

There are many moving parts.

What does “slow COMT” mean?

You may have heard people describe themselves as having fast COMT or slow COMT.

One of the best-studied COMT variants is commonly known as Val158Met. Research has shown that genetic variation at COMT can affect enzyme activity, although the biological effects are considerably more complex than many online explanations suggest.

Because COMT participates in the metabolism of catecholamines including dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline, it has attracted a lot of attention in research into brain function and stress-related traits.

But again, your COMT result should not be treated as a personality test.

A gene variant might influence a biological tendency. It doesn’t dictate who you are.

The problem with testing MTHFR alone

This is probably the most important part.

Finding out your MTHFR status can be interesting.

But MTHFR is only one component of a much larger pathway.

Looking at MTHFR without considering other relevant genes is a little like looking at one cog in a watch and trying to work out how well the entire watch is running.

Other genes involved in one-carbon and methylation-related pathways can provide additional context, including genes involved in folate processing, homocysteine pathways and methyl-group metabolism.

And your genes are still only part of the picture.

Your actual nutritional status, diet, lifestyle, age, medication, environment and other factors can all matter too.

Does having an MTHFR variant mean you need methylfolate?

Not necessarily.

This is another area where genetic information can become oversimplified online.

Having an MTHFR variant does not automatically tell you that you have a folate deficiency, nor does it automatically prescribe a particular supplement or dose.

In fact, the CDC specifically notes that people with common MTHFR variants are still able to process folate, including folic acid.

That doesn’t mean genetics are irrelevant.

It means genetics should provide context, rather than becoming a diagnosis in themselves.

At DNApal, that distinction is important.

Your DNA is the starting point, not the final answer

We think this is where personalised nutrition becomes genuinely interesting.

Two people could both carry the same MTHFR variant and yet have completely different diets, nutrient status, lifestyles and combinations of other genetic variants.

So why would we expect them to need exactly the same advice?

We wouldn’t.

Your DNA provides a blueprint of inherited tendencies.

Understanding how those tendencies interact with one another — and then putting them into the context of the person actually sitting in front of us — is where nutrigenomics becomes far more useful.

That means looking beyond the headline gene.

Beyond MTHFR.

Beyond COMT.

And towards the bigger picture.

Want to understand your own methylation genetics?

DNApal analyses genetic data across a wide range of nutrition and wellbeing pathways, including variants relevant to methylation, nutrient metabolism and other areas of personalised health.

Rather than looking at a single gene in isolation, DNApal helps you understand your genetic results as part of a broader picture – and translates them into information you can actually use.

View our DNApal Packages here or contact us for more information.