Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood produced when the body breaks down proteins, specifically methionine.
Homocysteine is an important part of the methylation cycle as it must to recycled back into methionine. Methionine then gets converted into SAM-e which is the universal methyl donor that allows the methylation process to begin.
When there are SNP’s to genes like MTR and MTRR, homocysteine clearance can be slowed down. If homocysteine is not efficiently converted back to methionine (remethylated), the methylation cycle slows down, leading to impaired cellular methylation and increased oxidative stress.
