The environment around us has changed drastically over the course of the years. When our grandparents were young, they were likely buying their produce from a local farm or even growing it themselves. The soil was richer and contained nutrients that were more bioavailable. Unfortunately in today’s world, growing your own food is rare. Even those who buy all organic meats and produce are bound to eat foods that contain small amounts of pesticides (either from runoff, cross-contamination, or proximity to non-organic crops).
Additionally, more than 100,000 chemicals are now unregulated and found in everything from our personal care products to our cleaning supplies. Humans have a built-in detoxification system in place which helps to ensure the body eliminates a good amount of these chemicals. However, we also know that while some people are able to detoxify these chemicals just fine, others are negatively impacted by their presence in the body. More specifically, those with impaired detoxification systems (gene mutations, autoimmune diseases, and cancer) may already have trouble detoxing chemicals from the body. Additionally, one of the body’s main detoxification pathways is methylation, which can be affected by an MTHFR mutation. Methylation is required for effective detoxification.