Many patients have already had it done, and many more are asking for it. But does testing the

mTHFR gene do any good?

Welcome to the Carlet Psychiatry Podcast, keeping psychiatry honest since 2003.

I'm Chrisaken, the editor-in-chief of the Carlat Psychiatry Report.

And I'm Kelly Newsom, a psychiatric MP and a dedicated reader of every issue.

Welcome to Part 3 of our folate series, where we're doing a deep dive into the gene that

activates folate in the liver, MTHFR. There are two common

variants of this gene, C677T and A1298C. And like most genetic tests, the promise with

MTHFR is big, but what it delivers is more complex. Patients are already coming in with a test done, often through naturopathic clinics,

and determine that MTHFR is the explanation for all of their psychiatric problems.

That is unlikely, but MTHFR does play a role in depression.

MTHR mutations increase the risk of depression by about 40%, and they are more common in depression. MTHFR mutations increase the risk of depression by about 40%,

and they are more common in depression. In the general population, the rate of major MTHFR

problems is 30 to 40%. But patients with depression have a higher prevalence, around 60%. These mutations

are even more common in people of Hispanic or Mediterranean descent.

But MTHFR is not a black or white issue, as hematologist and folate expert, Victor Hoffbrand

explains.

It depends on dose.

It's not an all or nothing.

If you give enough folic acid, you'll certainly get

plentymethyl folate made, even in those people. They don't have a complete block, otherwise

they wouldn't be alive. Last week, we explained that L-Methyl folate has better data in

...