With the help of your methylation cycle, PEMT helps your body produce phosphatidylcholine (PC), a key biochemical that you need for several important roles.
PC is the primary component of your cell membranes that keeps them fluid and healthy. Without enough of it your cells are unable to absorb nutrients. You can develop malnutrition even with a healthy diet. A sign of this is ridged nails.
PC helps your bile flow smoothly from your gallbladder (if you still have one) to aid digestion of fats. This helps keep bacteria, fungus and parasites out of your small intestine.
A dirty PEMT may result in SIBO.
Developing gallstones from sluggish PEMT and having your gallbladder removed is a sign you have poor PEMT.
PC helps package and move triglycerides, a type of fat out of your liver. Without PC you can develop a fatty liver. Personally, and with many clients, I reversed fatty liver with PC.
PC is essential for nerve function to build myelin sheath.
PC also helps with muscle movement, and brain development.
PEMT also helps produce choline when you don’t get enough from diet.
You need choline for several tasks.
• To support liver function, nerve function, muscle movement, energy levels and metabolism.
• To make acetylcholine, a brain neurotransmitter important for learning and concentration
• As a backup pathway for the Methylation cycle when you don’t have enough methylfolate (methylated Vitamin B 9) and methylcobalamin (methylated B12)
Signs of dirty PEMT
Without sufficient PC your cell membranes lose their integrity and numerous bodily functions that rely on PEMT.
Common signs include:
• Fatigue
• Fatty liver
• Gallbladder disorders
• Inflammation
• Muscle pain
• Malnourishment
• Pregnancy complications
• SIBO
• Elevated triglycerides
• Muscle weakness
Potential strengths of dirty PEMT
Better able to conserve choline to help with attention and focus. Potential to respond better to chemotherapy.
How do we support PEMT ?
• Ensure you consume high choline foods every day- it doesn’t matter if meat or vegetable. Your liver will remind you if you are low as you may feel quesy
• Eat in moderation as extra protein, carbs and fats puts pressure on an already stressed liver.
• Stop eating when 80 percent full.
• 15 minutes later satiety will come.
• Control stress as it burns through choline like nobody’s business.
• Eat leafy green vegetables. The lower you are in methylfolate the more choline you need to support your methylation cycle.
• Ensure you absorb and digest food. Eat when calm and drink minimal fluids with meals. Do not drive and eat.
• Reduce refined carbs. Stop the chips and crackers and replace with complex carbs such as celery, carrot sticks and hummus.
• Wash your hands in natural soaps not antibacterials after spending any time in public spaces. This will help you reduce infections from bacteria and viruses, easing the burden on your immune system and reduce the need for extra choline.
• Cook with avocado oil, macadamia oil and or ghee to reduce fatty acid oxidation. Don’t cook with coconut oil or olive oil as they have a low smoke point.
• Love your liver, as 85 percent of methylation occurs in liver, easing the strain on this organ will protect your phosphatidylcholine levels and your liver. Limit alcohol, cut out preservatives and all unnecessary medications (with your doctor’s permission)
• Take herbs that stimulate bile flow such as globe artichoke.
• Also bitters such as gentian or angelica as our levels of hydrochloric acid tends to fall as we age.
• Consume bitter foods such as rocket and radish.
• Consider visceral manipulation of the gallbladder if you are displaying signs of SIBO.
High choline foods include:
• Liver
• Eggs
• Fish
• Chicken
• Red meat
Vegetarian sources include:
• Asparagus
• Beets (O)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Flaxseed
• Green peas
• Lentils
• Mung beans
• Pinto beans
• Quinoa
• Shitake mushrooms
• Spinach (O)
(O)= high oxalates. Can be an issue in someone with fungal dysbiosis producing endogenous oxalates that can be assessed on an Organic Acid Test.
Oxalate crystals can deposit in various tissues not only kidneys creating pain
PEMT and its role in digestion
The gallbladder, bile flow and liver are all impacted by PEMT
Besides its major role in cell membrane health. PEMT triggered phosphatidylcholine (PC) is also vital for bile flow.
Your gallbladder makes bile to aid in digestion and with its antimicrobial properties to protect you from small intestine bacterial overgrowth or SIBO.
If your PC levels are low, bile flows sluggishly.
Your gallbladder then begins to malfunction, potentially leading to gallstones, fat malabsorption, nutrient deficiency, SIBO and chemical sensitivity.
Gallstones are especially prevented in pregnant women due to high demands for PC.
PEMT AND Fatty liver
If your PEMT is dirty and doesn’t trigger enough PC production, your triglycerides may double.
You need PC to move your triglycerides out of your liver. If you are deficient in choline your liver doesn’t make enough VLDLS so these triglycerides build up in the liver, leading to fatty liver instead of moving into the bloodstream to be used as fuel to support your mitochondria.
Secondly, PC is used to make cell membranes. As PC drops your mitochondria become less likely to burn fuel.
When you can’t burn fat as fuel, you store it in your cells, where it causes oxidative stress.
This stress further damages your mitochondria.
You develop this vicious cycle that can’t repair itself until your cell membranes are healthy – and meanwhile your body is storing fuel as fat.
PEMT, Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Sadly, most pregnant and breastfeeding women are deficient in choline. Most infant formulas provide little or no choline.
The developing baby needs extra choline for three primary reasons:
• To promote cognition
• To support methylation
• To make cell membranes.
Levels of choline in pregnancy and breastfeeding are directly related to decreased memory and learning disabilities.
Spot clean your PEMT
• Needs additional support during pregnancy, breastfeeding and post menopause,
• Consider visceral manipulation of your liver, gallbladder and diaphragm.
• Support low oestrogen in pre and post menopause either with herbs or with bio-identical hormones.
• Oestrogen drops at this time due to stress. It can also drop with weak fat absorption that translates to low cholesterol, which in turn results in low oestrogen.
Lose the low fat mentality from the 70s as it has stripped you of fat soluble vitamins ADEK.
Statins that reduce cholesterol will impair oestrogen, hence may affect PEMT.
Supplements for your PEMT
Phosphatitidylcholine (PC) to support your cell membrane.
Ensure it is non-GMO, soy free form as this is a common allergen. Store PC in cool area but not in fridge. Too much PC can result in depression, so begin with one tsp daily and consume lots of high choline foods.
Quicksilver Membrane mend 1 tsp once daily
Creatine Take creatine to conserve SAMe so there’s more SAMe available to make PC.
Information taken from ‘Clean up your Dirty Genes’. Dr Ben Lynch
Practitioner note from Megan: I commonly see this genetic mutation and all the liver/ gallbladder bile stagnation and sluggishness implications post mould exposure. I can pick up all the signs on Bio resonance.
People with this mutation for obvious reasons create thick sludgy bile which doesn’t clear out mycotoxins well and results in slow motility in the digestive system, often the small bowel and lymphatic system which can put pressure on the skin as this is the biggest eliminatory organ.
There are sollutions to all of this; however they take time
