What it is, what it means and how we'd deal with any issues.
It's a gene.
(And no it doesn't code for being a motherf***er).
But it does get thrown around a lot in the health space.
You might have heard that having an MTHFR gene mutation means you’re in for a lifetime of health struggles—heart disease, brain fog, anxiety, infertility, the whole lot.
But here’s the thing—everyone has the MTHFR gene.
It’s the variant that makes the difference.
Even if you have the so-called "bad" variant, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It certainly doesn’t mean you need to be popping supplements for life.
Let's dive in...
What is MTHFR?
MTHFR stands for methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase—a key enzyme that helps regulate methylation, the biochemical process responsible for:
Detoxification
Neurotransmitter balance
DNA repair
and more.
Think of methylation like an assembly line: if one part is sluggish, others pick up the slack.
But here’s where things get interesting—MTHFR doesn’t work alone. It’s deeply interconnected with other pathways, like COMT (which regulates dopamine and adrenaline), MAO (which affects mood), and CBS (which influences sulfur metabolism).
That’s why isolating one gene, as many genetic tests do, is like trying to understand a symphony by listening to a single note.
Take genetic testing, for example.
Many companies focus on a handful of genes, promising to decode your health destiny. Gary Brecka’s approach is one such example. Limited, reductionist, and often misleading.
Chris Masterjohn, a PhD biochemist, has broken down the flaws in these oversimplified genetic tests that cost $500 and test only 5 genes [HERE].
Even when a gene variant appears to be underperforming, it doesn’t mean dysfunction is inevitable. Context matters. Genes don’t operate in a vacuum—they respond to their environment. Seasonal shifts (light, temperature, food availability), physical states (exercise, pregnancy, fasting), and nutrient status (especially riboflavin, B2) all influence how these pathways unfold.
Don’t Let the Name Fool You
MTHFR has "folate" in its name, but its efficiency depends on riboflavin (B2). If methylation were an engine, folate would be the fuel—but B2 is the ignition. You could have all the folate in the world, but without enough B2, the engine won’t start.
This is where mainstream advice often gets it wrong. Many people panic over an MTHFR variant and start megadosing folate and methylated B vitamins, thinking they’re fixing a problem. But without adequate riboflavin, they’re just flooding the system with raw materials that never get properly processed.
Food First
If you’ve been told your health struggles are due to a dreaded MTHFR variant, don’t fear—nature has the solution.
And guess what...
Nature says eat liver.
Gram for gram, it’s a powerhouse of methylation-supporting nutrients:
Vitamin B9 (folate)
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Glycine (balances methylation)
Zinc (essential cofactor)
Choline (supports alternative methylation pathways via BHMT)
Forget megadosing 200-400 mg of B2 supplements. The functional medicine and biohacking world has spent too much time obsessing over details and missing the big picture.
At Oath, we don’t believe in quick fixes. We trust the body, honour nature, and know that food is more than energy—it’s information, a tool for healing and thriving.
Our burgers and minced beef bring the perfect methylation-boosting cofactors, crafted by nature, powered by cows raised on lush grass with the sun on their backs. That’s our barcode.
Sure, sometimes supplements have their place. But even then, look to nature first. Oyster capsules from our friends at APE for zinc. Wild salmon eggs for choline.
Food first. Always.
Speak soon,
R, J & N
