Please note: The content of this post is my own unless the technical terms are too hard to explain, then the content is copy and paste. I am not a medical professional and thus the post is my point of view. But the content is science-based and credible. Just because it is a new science, does not necessarily make it quackery.
Pyrimidine Metabolites – Folate Metabolism
Remember this picture? This is from the series on MTHFR (methylation cycle)
The Pyrimidine metabolites in the Organic Acid test also points to your folate cycle. In the Organic acid test, there are two acids they look for :
- Uracil
- Thymine
Folate acts as a methyl donor in converting uracil to thymine.
Elevated Uracil could also indicate MTHFR homozygous gene mutation and methylation problems including high homocysteine. High levels of uracil are found with folate (vitamin B9) deficiencies.
High levels of thymine indicate a deficiency in vitamin B1. Low B1 is common with alcoholics, and for people who are on very high carbohydrate, low-nutrient diet. Very high levels are associated with inflammatory diseases and cancer.
This is why the MTHFR/ Methylation test and the Organic acid test goes hand in hand.
According to some studies, around 10% of autistic children have elevated uracil acid. Great Plain Laboratories has a specific test testing Uric acids, click here and here
From earlier blood tests (2016 and 2018) you can see that Alex has an issue with processing folic acid as you would get if from your multivitamins and supplements and your pregnancy supplement. Most doctors recommend women wanting to get pregnant and those that are pregnant to take a folic acid supplement to prevent this like spinal bifida and cognitive disorders in their babies, but if genetically you have a disposition to not be able to process that folic acid it can build up and cause more harm. That is why taking folinic acid or folate instead is more beneficial. Folinic acid and folate has already been through the methylation process to make are more useful to the body.
2016 vs 2018 Blood test – folic acid:
| E-folaat (RBS) | 1305 | >285.0 | 2859 | > 500 |
A slight increase, but apparently this is normal as your levels are not always the same every day.
Organic acid test results:
| Thymine | BDL | < 0.8 | mmol/mol creat | |
| Uracil | 0.71 | < 6.8 | mmol/mol creat |
It was too low to measure. (I am yet to find a doctor to explain this to me – the reason why the blood test shows elevation and the organic acid test was too low).
Foods to eat that increase folinic acid or folate:
Another acid that is part of the methylation cycle and which is also picked up on the Organic acid test is Vitamin B12 or Methylmalonic Acid. But more about it later in the section on Nutritional Markers.