Study: Food Intervention with Folate Reduces TNF-α and Interleukin Levels in Overweight and Obese Women with the MTHFR C677T Polymorphism: A Randomized Trial Nutrients, Feb 2020 Overivew: This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of increased dietary folate via vegetable consumption in overweight Brazilian women with the MTHFR C677T variant. (Check your MTHFR variant here) The researchers looked at inflammatory levels measured as homocysteine, TNF-α, IL-1B, and IL-6. The study participants were divided into two groups, each consuming 300 g of vegetables per day for 8 weeks. Group I at vegetables containing 95µg of folate, and Group II at vegetables containing 191 µg of folate each day. In women with two copies of the MTHFR C677T variant (A/A for 23andMe data), the increased dietary folate reduced their homocysteine, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels. For women with one copy of the variant, the change in those inflammatory markers was not significant. My take away: This study is interesting because it shows that dietary increases in folate are enough to decrease inflammatory markers in women with MTHFR 677TT. I’ve always thought of … Read more