Posted by Larry Hoover on May 1, 2009, at 18:20:13
In reply to Opinions on Supplements with SAM-e, posted by tonyz on May 1, 2009, at 11:39:54
> One article I read recommended supplementing SAM-e with 100 mg B6, 1mg B12, 500-2000 mg trimethylglycine and 1mg folic acid. From what I understand the B vitamins are water soluble so if you take too much your body will just eliminate them naturally; however, I don't know much about trimethylgycine and folic acid so I don't know of any complications with these levels?
I wouldn't jump into taking that combination. The additive effect could be more than you're looking for, and you wouldn't know where to adjust things.
There are three routes for your body to recycle homocysteine to methionine. There is one that uses trimethylglycine (TMG, which is also known as betaine), via the enzyme BHMT (betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase), to donate the required methyl group. The enzyme is inducible, meaning that if your body is exposed to a source of TMG, it will make the enzyme that will utilize it. Although I have previously recommended this as my first choice, I have since discovered evidence that it may be insufficiently effective to normalize homocysteine levels on its own. In contrast to the other main option, it appears to not require co-factors (the B-vitamins). Zinc deficiency can block this enzyme, because it requires a zinc atom at the active site.
The second option utilizes 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (an activated form of folate) as the methyl donor, and cobalamin (B-12) as the transfer vehicle, in the enzyme known as MTR (5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase). Some people have problems forming 5-MTHF, which is why supps like Metafolin or Deplin may be beneficial.
The third enzyme is an odd-ball, IMHO, as it consumes SAMe to convert homocysteine to methionine. Methionine is the precursor to SAMe, and the SAMe consumed in the reaction goes on to form more homocysteine. Therefore, there is no net benefit, but I don't know how to avoid it, except by utilizing other methods to decrease homocysteine.
No matter how you reduce your homocysteine, you increase your methionine stores, which will lead to greater innate formation of SAMe. Which kind of begs the question whether on not simply optimizing your own homocysteine recycling might not be the first thing to try.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:893719
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090426/msgs/893780.html