Slow COMT: A Hidden Trigger for Hashimoto’s and Anxiety?

You may heard about MTHFR gene and Hashimoto’s connection but have you heard about COMT? For me personally it was a big big discovery as one of the main causes of my thyroid problems was high cortisol and elevated reverse T3 that was stealing all my thyroid hormones. I knew that I was drinking too much coffee, exercising too much and pushing my body to the limits (yes excess exercise raises your cortisol too)  but even when I stopped I still felt something was not right. It was slow COMT! So Let me explain how slow COMT can cause Hashimoto’s and make anxiety worse

Slow COMT and genetics of stress

COMT is one of the genes that is necessary to maintain hormonal and neurotransmitter balance. What I found out when trying to figure out my sluggish thyroid was downregulated COMT gene. My body struggled to metabolise cortisol and excess cortisol simply stayed longer in my system than it should messing up with other hormones.  I was constantly living in a “flight or fight” mode without even realising it! COMT has a big influence on your body’s ability to both metabolise stress hormones, oestrogen and neurotransmitters. With chronically elevated cortisol all other hormones including thyroid hormones will be out of balance.

Connection between slow COMT can anxiety?

One of the key neurotransmitters affected by COMT gene is dopamine. When dopamine is not metabolized as quickly as it should, it can lead to higher levels of dopamine in certain areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex. You need dopamine to stay focuses, think fast, make decisions etc however… too much of dopamine can make you feel overstimulated. In other words too much of ‘good’ thing becomes unhealthy. Elevated levels of dopamine in this region of your brain can cause anxiety and more sensitivity to stress and stressful situations. Moreover, with slow COMT you are also more likely experience sleep problems (especially difficulties in falling a sleep). Also,?with poor sleep you will have higher levels of cortisol which creates a bit of vicious cycle…

How slow COMT can cause Hashimoto’s?

While slow COMT gene itself does not directly cause Hashimoto’s, it influences two pathways that overtime can lead to autoimmune conditions like Hashimto’s

First, slow COMT contributes to higher levels of?cortisol (stress hormone) and other catecholamines like adrenaline and noradrenaline. Elevated levels of stress hormones damage gut microbiome, gut wall and dysregulate immune system leading to immune system dysfunction overtime. Chronic stress is one of the biggest causes and triggers of autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto’s.

Secondly, with slow COMT, you are at higher risk of excess oestrogen and high harmful oestrogen metabolites that are highly inflammatory and damaging to your body.?Moreover, high estrogen level in relation to progesterone increases anti-TPO thyroid antibodies as well. That can can also make Hashimoto’s symptoms worse

Symptoms of slow COMT:

• Unable to wind down or sleep properly
• Estrogen dominance (painful periods, weight gain and more fat around belly and tights, breast tenderness, bloating and irritability before period)
• Anxiety and being more a ‘worrier’ type of person
• Histamine intolerance (food intolerances, migraines)
• Poor liver function and detoxification
• Blood sugar imbalances, sugar cravings and afternoon crashes
• Low tolerance to stressful situations and difficult to calm down

On the good side, with slow COMT, you may experience:

• Better focus and memory
• Fast learning
• Increase strength and endurance in sports

Foods to support slow COMT and Hashimoto’s

The good thing is that gene mutation doesn’t mean that you just have to live with it and related health problems. It means that your body is less efficient at certain processes and it needs certain nutrients more, quite often in a particular form to make it work as it should be:)

Eating magnesium rich foods is a crucial nutrient for a slow COMT. Additionaly, B vitamins – especially folate, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12. Since with slow COMT your body is less efficient at detoxifying (especially estrogen), food supporting liver can be extremely beneficial too: broccoli, flaxseeds, milk thistle, artichokes, citrus fruits, onion, parsley and celery.

What to avoid with slow COMT?

Excess stress is number one thing to focus on. That includes not only physical stressors from excess exercise but also emotional stressors. Limiting catechin-containing foods and drinks like chocolate, aged cheeses, wine, coffee, turmeric and green tea is important too.

Lastly,

If you tried already a lot of things and haven’t seen much improvements with Hashimoto’ – it might be worth considering further tests to find out what else are you missing or what your body is not coping well with. My favourite test that reveals a lot about your genes and key processes is Methylation Panel. From nutritional tests, NutraEval Test is a really good one that will help you identify particular nutrients that you are missing and that are essential for optimal gene function and other processes in the body necessary to heal and repair.