Balancing Methylation
We can balance our methylation by making changes to our diet and lifestyle and understanding our unique genetic makeup, and we can measure our progress on a scale from undermethylated to overmethylated.
Methylation is a complex biological process that involves the addition of methyl groups to DNA by molecules called methyl donors, affecting gene expression and various physiological functions. It can be thought of as adding notes to a recipe that guide the body's response. Both undermethylation, which occurs when there are too few methyl donors, and overmethylation, which occurs when there are too many, can cause short-term and long-term physical and emotional issues.
To achieve optimal health, it's essential to balance your methylation by having the appropriate amount of methyl donors in your body. However, this amount can vary from person to person due to their unique genetic makeup. It is possible to determine whether you are an overmethylator or an undermethylator through dietary and lifestyle adjustments. It's also important to consider your methylation Reset Rate, which is influenced, in part, by how far away you are from your genetic baseline. For example, if your baseline is +2 and you aim to balance to 0, your reset rate may be slower compared to someone with a baseline of +4. The methylation scale ranges from -8, indicating undermethylation, to +8, indicating overmethylation, with 0 being methyl-balanced.
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