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Chapter 2. Nutrigenomics and the Methylation Cycle
and are also needed to help to control B cells, which produce antibodies. Due to
mutations in the methylation pathway, you may lack the ability to produce the
methyl groups necessary for making new T cells. When that occurs, there is an
increased tendency to produce B cells, which may therefore result in an autoimmune
disorder. When I and my practitioner colleagues look at the blood work
of many of the children, we often find these kinds of imbalances—they have too
many auto-antibodies, not enough of a T-cell response, and too much of a B-cell
response. I have seen several cases in which the level of auto-antibodies has declined
after proper methylation cycle supplementation.
Methylation of DNA also regulates immune cells. Immune receptor DNA is
initially in the “off” state and remains that way until the immune cells need to
differentiate in order to respond to an intruder. As you will learn in greater detail
below, at that time the DNA loses its methyl groups in a regulated fashion and
the DNA is turned “on.”
As we have just seen, methylation is generally correlated with the silencing of
genes. But research has also shown that when genes are not methylated at specific
points, the immune system can be tricked into reacting against itself.
So, to sum up, methyl groups help turn your genes on and off. They also help
determine the ways your immune system reacts. Unless methylation is operative,
the immune system may react when it’s not needed, creating autoimmune disorders,
or fail to respond to actual threats when it is needed.
Digestive Issues
The functional areas impacted by improper methylation are in a dynamic relationship
with one another—that is, they are mutually interactive. So it is with the
relationship of your immune cells to digestive issues. Since many of your immune
cells reside in the digestive tract, there’s a close relationship between methylation,
immunity, and such digestive problems as leaky gut, allergies, and various
forms of digestive distress that the children commonly experience. Briefly, if
methylation is low and T cell production is low, then histamine levels tend to be
high. Histamine is linked to inflammation, a contributing factors to leaky gut as
well as allergies.
Methylation T Cells Histamine
Inflammation
With the underactivity of T cells, B cell activity can take over, which can lead
to autoimmune issues like allergies and food sensitivities. That’s why so many
children with autism benefit from a gluten-free, casein-free diet. While some
practitioners working with children with autism recommend this type of diet,
knowing the underlying biochemistry helps explain why it often proves helpful.
Autism: Pathways to Recovery
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