Methylation is one of the most crucial processes keeping your body running smoothly every second of the day, but many people have never ever heard of it before. The thing is; feeding your body’s ability to methylate well can be one of the most underrated yet powerful things you do for your long-term health, because up to 70% of people have a gene that means your body may struggle with it. And yes, your nutrition plays a big role.
What is methylation?
Methylation sounds complex, but it’s a simple event that happens all the time: your body attaches a small molecule called a methyl group to another molecule like DNA, a protein or a neurotransmitter. That tiny addition of an extra molecule acts like a switch, essentially turning processes in your body ‘on’ or ‘off’, and tagging molecules to determine their next job.
This happens billions of times per day across nearly every system of your body. Here are just a few things methylation is involved in:
-
Gene expression: 🧬 Methylation helps decide which genes get turned ‘on’ or remain ‘off’. Abnormal methylation can turn off tumour-suppressing genes that prevent cancer and contribute to autoimmune conditions.
-
Detoxification: 🍀 The liver uses methylation to neutralise hormones and toxins, ready to be excreted. Without this, the body can’t detoxify.
-
Neurotransmitter production: 🧠 Serotonin, dopamine (involved in helping you feel calm, happy and motivated) and noradrenaline (which drives the ‘fight or flight’ response) all rely on methylation steps, so your mood depends on it.
-
DNA repair and cell division: 🧬 Methylation supports the accurate copying of genes, especially critical during pregnancy.
-
Cardiovascular health: ❤️ Proper methylation keeps homocysteine (an inflammatory amino acid) under control, preventing damage to blood vessels, the buildup of arterial plaque (atherosclerosis), and an increased risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Put simply; methylation is the body’s way of fine-tuning itself, and even a slight slow-down can cause issues. If your body can’t effectively methylate, this is associated with increased cardiovascular strain, fatigue, mood imbalances and compromised detoxification. It’s also central to prenatal health, since getting plenty of folate to support methylation is needed for healthy neural tube development.
What disrupts methylation?
Several factors, including genetics, lifestyle and nutrition can interfere with the methylation cycle:
-
Genetic variants: 🧬 Most notably the MTHFR gene, which converts folate into its active, usable form. It’s estimated that up to 70% of people have some form of this gene mutation. If you’re a health nerd, you might want to know that these associated gene variants are the C677T and A1298C, and they’re particularly common in people with Northern European ancestry.
-
Nutrient deficiencies: 🥩 Especially of B vitamins like B6, folate (B9) and B12, choline, and betaine - the vital nutrients the methylation cycle runs on.
-
Chronic stress and poor sleep: 😴 which increase the body's demand for nutrients used in the making of stress hormones faster than they can be replenished.
-
Alcohol and heavy toxin exposure: 🍷 which tax the liver's detox pathways.
-
A diet heavy in synthetic folic acid: 💊 Those with an MTHFR gene mutation process synthetic folic acid less efficiently, meaning it doesn’t get converted into the essential, usable form. This causes the unmetabolised folic acid to build up in the body, which then lowers levels of real, active folate. Low quality folic acid supplements and fortified foods are the main ways you could be consuming this, so we prefer to get our active, usable folate from Organic Grass-Fed Beef Liver.
- Ageing: 👴 which naturally slows the efficiency of enzymes throughout the body.
5 key ways to support healthy methylation
-
Prioritise methyl-donor nutrients: Folate (B9), B12, B6, choline, and betaine are the building blocks of the cycle.
-
Favour bioactive, pre-formed nutrient sources over synthetic ones when possible, since they require fewer conversion steps. This means choosing sources like 'methylfolate' or getting it naturally from foods like our favourite Beef Liver.
-
Manage stress and sleep, since both directly influence methylation demand.
-
Limit alcohol and support liver function generally.
-
Get personalised if needed: For those with known MTHFR variants, working with a knowledgeable practitioner on nutrient forms and levels can be worthwhile.
Nutrition to support methylation
Whilst plant foods like leafy greens and legumes offer folate, animal-based foods hold a unique advantage: they supply the necessary nutrients in their most active and bioavailable forms – meaning your body can put them to use with minimal effort. This is especially true for B12, which is essentially absent from plant-based foods and only found in meaningful amounts in animal products, and for choline, where eggs yolks and liver are the richest sources on the planet.
Top 5 nutrients to support methylation & the best food sources
Folate (B9): A core building block of the methylation cycle, supplying the raw material needed to support DNA synthesis and repair.
Best food sources: Beef liver, salmon, sardines, egg yolks, grass-fed beef
Betaine: Helps recycle homocysteine into methionine to prevent cardiovascular issues, giving the body a backup path when folate is running low.
Best food sources: Beef liver, seafood (especially shellfish), beef, oysters
B6: Works as a cofactor to keep the methylation cycle balanced and supporting glutathione production for detoxification.
Best food sources: Beef liver, poultry, wild-caught salmon, tuna, grass-fed beef
B12: Partners directly with folate, making it essential for the cycle to keep running.
Best food sources: Beef liver, sardines, salmon, eggs, grass-fed beef
Choline: Feeds the methylation cycle with additional methyl groups and supports liver and cell function.
Best food sources: Beef liver, egg yolks, salmon, grass-fed beef
Why Beef Liver Is A Methylation Superstar
If there’s one food that comes up over and over again when it comes to supporting methylation, there’s no doubt it’s Beef Liver – and for good reason. A 100g serving of Beef Liver, provides about half your daily recommended serving of folate, but what makes it especially important is how this folate shows up. Folate in Beef Liver comes in the active, pre-methylated form 5-MTHF, that your body can put to work immediately without relying on a long list of steps to convert it.
Beyond folate, beef liver is also one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin B12 available in any food, along with meaningful amounts of B6, choline, and riboflavin (B2) - all direct cofactors in the methylation cycle. It also supplies copper, iron, and vitamin A, making liver one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat, and it’s why our Organic Grass-Fed Beef Liver is our number one recommended whole-food supplement to give your body meaningful amounts of nutrients needed to support your body’s methylation.
Discover our Organic Grass-Fed Beef Liver here.
“Makes a massive difference to my energy levels” – Rachel M
“Been taking this for 2-3 years. Definitely notice the difference when I forget to take it” – Daniel N.
“I was really struggling with my energy levels due to perimenopause symptoms. I’ve not been taking these long but I’ve seen the benefits already, my energy is coming back, I’m not looking as drained and I’m really happy with these.” – Kate G.
![]()
The Essentials
1.) Methylation switches genes, hormones, and neurotransmitters on/off, affecting mood, detox, heart health, and DNA repair
2.) Up to 70% of people carry an MTHFR gene variant, reducing their ability to activate folate.
3.) Synthetic folic acid can build up unmetabolised in the body (especially with MTHFR variants), lowering levels of real, active folate.
4.) Other disruptors include: nutrient deficiencies, stress, poor sleep, and alcohol.
5.) Beef liver stands out for providing active folate (5-MTHF), B12, B6, and choline.
This is just one of the reasons we're so passionate about sharing the value of nature's most nutrient-dense foods. We know synthetic supplements have their place in specific circumstances, but most of the time, nature provides what we need in a perfectly balanced form - the way we've consumed it for centuries.
Here's to fuelling your wellbeing the way nature intended.
The APE Team