PEMT
Phosphatidylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase (PEMT) encodes an enzyme that makes phosphatidylcholine in the liver. It makes sure you don’t run out of phosphatidylcholine and choline, even if you don’t get enough through your diet.
PEMT Uses SAMe to methylate phosphatidylethanolamine, producing phosphatidylcholine, a vital component of cell membranes. It links the methylation cycle to lipid metabolism.
PEMT encourages the body to burn fat for fuel and protects the liver from fatty liver disease. It does this by forcing the body to use glucose and thus boosts insulin sensitivity. When fat intake is high, it can lead to obesity and insulin resistance. We need to have the right balance.
What is Choline?
Choline is an essential nutrient important for brain function, especially for producing a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which is crucial for memory. Choline is needed to for cell membranes and transporting cholesterol.
Choline plays a role in the metabolism and transport of fats. (lipid metabolism). It helps prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver by supporting the movement of fat from the liver to other tissues in the body, reducing the risk of fatty liver disease.
Choline is found in food such as eggs, shitake mushrooms, clams, beef liver, and soybeans, chicken liver, salmon, and almonds.
Studies have shown that not getting enough choline early in life can affect memory and attention in newborns. In adults, abnormal choline levels have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis.
In the methylation cycle, Choline is made from phosphatidylcholine by means of the PEMT enzyme. It is also needed to make betaine. Both Choline and betaine are involved in the re-methylation of homocysteine to methionine and form part of a back-up pathway when folate is deficient.
A PEMT mutation can cause…
- Estrogen levels affect how PEMT functions and during perimenopause and menopause this can affect women especially, leading to weight gain, fatty liver, and high cholesterol.
- If you carry a PEMT mutation, and you don’t have sufficient choline intake, your risks for gallbladder disease and even gallbladder removal increases.
- A PEMT mutation can lead to symptoms like GERD, digestive issues, gurgly stomach, acid reflux, indigestion and even insulin sensitivity.
Are any of these symptoms things you struggle with?
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references:
- Wallace TC, Blusztajn JK, Caudill MA, Klatt KC, Natker E, Zeisel SH, Zelman KM. Choline: The Underconsumed and Underappreciated Essential Nutrient. Nutr Today. 2018 Nov-Dec;53(6):240-253. doi: 10.1097/NT.0000000000000302. Epub 2018 Nov 13. PMID: 30853718; PMCID: PMC6259877
