Thanks so much for continuing to learn and write about this, Chris! đ
I am currently on a low-fat (no added oils; only flaxseed and hemp hearts), whole foods vegan diet, low in beta carotene (primarily consisting of legumes, whole grains, bananas, strawberries, apples, dates, raisins, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, blackstrap molasses)âŚ
Thanks so much for continuing to learn and write about this, Chris! đ
I am currently on a low-fat (no added oils; only flaxseed and hemp hearts), whole foods vegan diet, low in beta carotene (primarily consisting of legumes, whole grains, bananas, strawberries, apples, dates, raisins, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, blackstrap molasses), and transitioned to eating this way not long after my âoxalate dumpingâ response to both egg consumption and biotin supplementation, which I posted about under your earlier article on the subject.
What is weird to me is that while I think youâre right about B12 and folate reducing this reaction, vitamin A seems to be part of the underlying issue in my case (overloading the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme?)...because now that I am eating a ZERO retinol diet, biotin supplementation no longer triggers the dramatic âoxalate dumpingâ symptoms, even though I am not consuming B12 and my folate intake hasnât increased all that much.
Since I clearly have enough B12 stored in my body to get me through this brief period of veganism, and since I was consuming plenty of B12 when eating eggs and beef every day, B12 deficiency shouldnât have been a concern.
Likewise, folate is a nutrient I consume at well over 100% of the RDA, sometimes reaching 300%, due to my high legume intake.
So I suspect the retinol in the eggs (and occasional dairy) I was consuming at the time may have interfered with the B12 and/or folate somehow, even at such a relatively low dose.
My feeling is that I am still converting excess stored carotenoids and retinyl esters into retinaldehyde and then retinoic acid for removal from my body as quickly as my body dares, and whatever form of vitamin A is in eggs (multiple forms I guess?) caused a glut somewhere, leading to a transitory suppression of B12 and folate due to chronic hypervitaminosis A:
Whether or not this idea is correct, my body doesnât tolerate retinol. My CFS/POTS was much worsened when I was consuming eggs. It kinda stinks Iâm still this sensitive to retinol at 4.5 years (minus 3 months of egg consumption) of consuming under 3% of the RDA for RAE, but at least I enjoy banana smoothies more than omelettes. đ
I will continue the vegan diet a while longer to limit purines and fats (another thing it seems my body isnât keen on; perhaps because my microbiome is sensitive), but will start to supplement B12, and then try the biotin supplement again a few times to see if I still tolerate it. I am taking supplemental calcium and iron.
While I havenât been tested to determine any genetic challenges I might have, I know I do not tolerate methylated B vitamin supplements (anxiety and insomnia results) or a super high-choline diet (350 mg to 600 mg choline from plants is what I typically get and do well on), so I figure Iâm an over-methylator.
Anyway, thanks again for writing about this, Chris! đ It is extremely helpful.
Thanks so much for continuing to learn and write about this, Chris! đ
I am currently on a low-fat (no added oils; only flaxseed and hemp hearts), whole foods vegan diet, low in beta carotene (primarily consisting of legumes, whole grains, bananas, strawberries, apples, dates, raisins, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, blackstrap molasses), and transitioned to eating this way not long after my âoxalate dumpingâ response to both egg consumption and biotin supplementation, which I posted about under your earlier article on the subject.
What is weird to me is that while I think youâre right about B12 and folate reducing this reaction, vitamin A seems to be part of the underlying issue in my case (overloading the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme?)...because now that I am eating a ZERO retinol diet, biotin supplementation no longer triggers the dramatic âoxalate dumpingâ symptoms, even though I am not consuming B12 and my folate intake hasnât increased all that much.
Since I clearly have enough B12 stored in my body to get me through this brief period of veganism, and since I was consuming plenty of B12 when eating eggs and beef every day, B12 deficiency shouldnât have been a concern.
Likewise, folate is a nutrient I consume at well over 100% of the RDA, sometimes reaching 300%, due to my high legume intake.
So I suspect the retinol in the eggs (and occasional dairy) I was consuming at the time may have interfered with the B12 and/or folate somehow, even at such a relatively low dose.
My feeling is that I am still converting excess stored carotenoids and retinyl esters into retinaldehyde and then retinoic acid for removal from my body as quickly as my body dares, and whatever form of vitamin A is in eggs (multiple forms I guess?) caused a glut somewhere, leading to a transitory suppression of B12 and folate due to chronic hypervitaminosis A:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2230.2006.02144.x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22098008/
Whether or not this idea is correct, my body doesnât tolerate retinol. My CFS/POTS was much worsened when I was consuming eggs. It kinda stinks Iâm still this sensitive to retinol at 4.5 years (minus 3 months of egg consumption) of consuming under 3% of the RDA for RAE, but at least I enjoy banana smoothies more than omelettes. đ
I will continue the vegan diet a while longer to limit purines and fats (another thing it seems my body isnât keen on; perhaps because my microbiome is sensitive), but will start to supplement B12, and then try the biotin supplement again a few times to see if I still tolerate it. I am taking supplemental calcium and iron.
While I havenât been tested to determine any genetic challenges I might have, I know I do not tolerate methylated B vitamin supplements (anxiety and insomnia results) or a super high-choline diet (350 mg to 600 mg choline from plants is what I typically get and do well on), so I figure Iâm an over-methylator.
Anyway, thanks again for writing about this, Chris! đ It is extremely helpful.
I think you hit the nail on the head with aldehyde dehydrogenase, but I am skeptical you are constantly draining the carotenoids like that.
I think, rather, you probably have a defect in aldehyde dehydrogenase that is the common denominator both to your intolerance of retinol and oxalate.