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I have problems with metabolizing histamine and with metabolizing all sulfer counpounds. You can never avoid them completely. BUT you can add some enzymes and supplements to aid in processing them, It will also help you if you have candida developing as a secondary problem associated with this. I get marked benefit from the Kirkman's phenol assist and Raw Zinc supplement bot have xylanase and hemiculase to help break down the stuff you can't. I also have trouble with getting waste out of my cells so I use zeolite and glutathione (pill or now I use a patch from patchmd.) These little additions help more than any doctor has for me. I do avoid sulfer coumpounds even in topical stuff like toothpaste and soaps and avoid histamine and take hblockers also. Every little bit helps. Molybdenum has helped a few I know but didn't make much difference either way. It is in my multi vitamin so I get some. I am about to add thiamine (b1) to my supplementation and see how that goes.

This was very helpful information. Thanks for sharing it.

@VQ2534, I am still trying to sort out my CBS/sulfur issues. I finally figured out that sulfur foods do, in fact, affect me; by ceasing to eat them, I improved (energy, muscles, clearer thinking, etc), and now if I eat them, I'm in a fog and feeling terrible all over again. I eliminated all the high-sulfur foods and supplements (based on the high-thiol food list that is commonly mentioned online, from Andy Cutler). I still eat meat. My understanding is that the sulfur in meat is different than that found in broccoli, garlic, etc. Recently I ate a bit of garlic and was affected for a week or more. This is disturbing, to say the least. I still find the whole situation mentally overwhelming; given the variety of SNP's I have and not having a qualified practitioner, I haven't been able to proceed with sorting out all the various SNP's and what they mean for me and what list of a million supplements I'd need to take in which order for how long and so on. I'm going to buy the Kirkman molybdenum you mentioned, so that if I ever try to eat ... More

@VQ2534, I am still trying to sort out my CBS/sulfur issues. I finally figured out that sulfur foods do, in fact, affect me; by ceasing to eat them, I improved (energy, muscles, clearer thinking, etc), and now if I eat them, I'm in a fog and feeling terrible all over again. I eliminated all the high-sulfur foods and supplements (based on the high-thiol food list that is commonly mentioned online, from Andy Cutler). I still eat meat. My understanding is that the sulfur in meat is different than that found in broccoli, garlic, etc. Recently I ate a bit of garlic and was affected for a week or more. This is disturbing, to say the least. I still find the whole situation mentally overwhelming; given the variety of SNP's I have and not having a qualified practitioner, I haven't been able to proceed with sorting out all the various SNP's and what they mean for me and what list of a million supplements I'd need to take in which order for how long and so on. I'm going to buy the Kirkman molybdenum you mentioned, so that if I ever try to eat sulfur-rich vegetables again, I'll have a rescue plan. How quickly/slowly does Kirkman's work compared to the liquid product you mentioned? Do you have any idea whether the sulfur in meat is enough to sustain a person until this CBS stuff is sorted out and I'm able to eat all the sulfur vegetables again? I have not eliminated all sulfur, since there is sulfur in meat; but I'm definitely not getting the full range of nutrients that would be obtained through broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, and on down the list; and I'm wondering if the sulfur in meat is adequate in the meantime. I'm also wondering if you have any thoughts about finding whatever has triggered the CBS gene to express -- what environmental trigger has led to the problems that are manifesting. The high-thiol food list I mentioned is on a site that discusses mercury toxicity from amalgam fillings; the idea is that thiol acts as a chelator and stirs up the mercury that was otherwise stored away and redistributes it and causes symptoms. So in this case, the sulfur (thiol) foods/supplements aren't the root cause; the mercury toxicity is. So of course the mercury toxicity needs to be addressed. Is this an example of a situation in which the genetic predisposition and an environmental toxin would interact to produce the type of trouble we associate with the CBS gene? I always hear that "our genes aren't our destiny, we can switch genes on or off via epigenetic means," etc. So I'm wondering what other environmental triggers might be turning on the CBS gene and causing problems. It seems that we aren't doomed to have these issues forever, since genes aren't our destiny; so have you found any information about root causes or factors that have flipped the CBS switch? Less

You should not try to completely eliminate sulfur. Avoid sulfur-donor supplements (many amino acids are sulfur donors) and limit food-based sulfur. But your body needs some sulfur. Molybdenum helps process and eliminate sulfur so you definitely need that. We use Kirkman molybdenum every day. Also good to have on hand a liquid molybdenum to help immediately with any sulfur reactions. Mini-Minerals brand molybdenum always worked well for us. It gets into your system quickly. The dark circles under my daughter's eyes would fade as I watched.

I find I can tolerate a small amount of sulfites now I supplement with between 150 -450 molybdenum

@MY1444 just a thought have you also checked if you need to be following a low histamine eating plan? I've posted a couple of links about this http://mthfr.net/histamine-intolerance-mthfr-and-methylation/2015/06/11/ http://www.geneticlifehacks.com/category/histamines/ http://www.jillcarnahan.com/2013/11/16/histamine-intolerance-could-this-be-the-cause-of-your-prob...

My doctor recommended 10 drops of Sparga (derived from the root of the asparagus) in a glass of water daily to help eliminate sulfer from my body. I buy this supplement on Amazon. I first started to have issues with wine which is high in sulfites, first the California wines, then nearly all wines from all countries with the exception of good DOCG labeled Chiantis from Italy. My doctor is shocked I can tolerate them but hey, they say some red wine daily is good for you and by taking the Sparga i do not get headaches like I used to.

@@QZ4430, yes there is a lab test that any doctor can run. It shows up in the labs as NH3 or NH4. We used to run them a lot. Very useful to know. Get a baseline then start treating your CBS mutation. Retest and see if it helps. Track how you feel, what you eat, and dates you start new supplements. Most of my discoveries about what my daughter could and could not eat/take happened while reviewing the daily logs I kept. This was long before we did the gene testing. Later, when we did the genetic testing, I learned why she couldn't tolerate all the food and supplements I pulled.

@VQ2534, is there a lab test that can detect whether I have elevated sulfur/ammonia? Does sulfur/ammonia cause similar symptoms in most people (similar to what you described for your child)? I have a food sensitivity to cabbage and it gives me horrible abdominal pain, but I wonder if that's different than a sulfur/ammonia issue. Given that sulfur is essential, as you said, I've been hesitant to cut back on things like garlic without knowing for sure if I'm a person who needs to cut back. I guess I'd prefer to see a lab test or something that verifies this is actually causing a problem for me, before modifying my (already restricted) diet any further. I also haven't begun supplementing for MTHFR, since I read about the need to treat CBS first. I'm feeling very confused.

@@QZ4430, I inquired about private messaging but Livewello isn't set up for that yet. I agree with @YY7961. Think about your symptoms and take it slow. For example, my daughter's ammonia-related symptoms include brain fog, spaciness, trouble focusing, and sometimes headache. Her symptoms for excess sulfur have included sudden crying fits (for no apparent reason), dark under eye circles. There were times when I would give her some liquid molybdenum and literally watch the dark circles fade. As far as what to avoid, we started by avoiding all sulfur-donor supplements (amino acids a real problem here) and being careful with its methylators. For food, we didn't eliminate everything with sulfur, because your body needs sulfur. We have to avoid garlic and onions because that will cause crying within 30 minutes. Onions are also high in phenols, which are a problem for us. We've learned that cabbages have just too much sulfur to handle but broccoli and cauliflower once or twice a week are manageable. It's going to be trial and error for you. Keep a food and symptom log as you experiment with foods.

I guess you need to first identify your symptoms and what led you here. I found my way here bc of chronic gut infections, hashimoto's, food intolerances, etc and the one weird thing on my blood work was always a really high B6 level. Which led me to read about CBS. Honestly, I haven't tried all the Yasko supplements because I can't afford them for one and my liver likes it better when I am on less supplements then more. My advice would be take it slow and don't get caught up in every post and thing you discover. I work in a science field so my inclination is to err on the side of caution. I have spent thousands of dollars on supplements and doctors and many of those supplements I couldn't tolerate so I have a cabinet full of unusable and very pricey pills plus I have just now found a Dr that seems to think he can help me after 2 years. And he is a real MD using real medicine and tests that my insurance will actually pay for. It just takes some doing to find your way in all this ... More

I guess you need to first identify your symptoms and what led you here. I found my way here bc of chronic gut infections, hashimoto's, food intolerances, etc and the one weird thing on my blood work was always a really high B6 level. Which led me to read about CBS. Honestly, I haven't tried all the Yasko supplements because I can't afford them for one and my liver likes it better when I am on less supplements then more. My advice would be take it slow and don't get caught up in every post and thing you discover. I work in a science field so my inclination is to err on the side of caution. I have spent thousands of dollars on supplements and doctors and many of those supplements I couldn't tolerate so I have a cabinet full of unusable and very pricey pills plus I have just now found a Dr that seems to think he can help me after 2 years. And he is a real MD using real medicine and tests that my insurance will actually pay for. It just takes some doing to find your way in all this. Listen to your body and Godspeed!  Less

@VQ2534, I'm still fairly new here and am wondering if there is a way to send you a private message with a few questions (I don't want to hijack this thread with my questions!). I'm trying to process all this info you've shared, but I'm still new to the whole SNP thing and trying to sort it all out. I have MTHFR, CBS, and COMT SNP's, among other things, and want to understand how they are all affecting me. Is there a way to find out if the sulfur/ammonia issue is actually a problem for a person? Since SNP's on their own don't automatically mean there's a problem (right?), how can I know if CBS, for instance, is actually giving me trouble? I'm also confused by things like "limit foods high in sulfur" -- how "limited" does this need to be? Avoid onions, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, etc, as much as possible? Or just don't eat them at every meal, or...? And more importantly, as I alluded to before, how do I know for certain if I'm a person who needs to avoid/limit them at all? Sorry, I guess I went ahead and asked some of my questions anyway!

This is my last post today--really! In looking for sources to answer all these questions, I found a great presentation by Amy Yasko online. It doesn't cover everything but it hits upon some of the mutations we have been talking about here. http://dramyyasko.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/acam-nov-2005-workshop.pdf

@YY7961, I have not found any way to down regulate that CBS pathway other than following Yasko's recommendations: eat small amounts of meat protein, use small amounts of each methylator to start (sometimes all you can handle is a sprinkle--my daughter can still only handle 1/4 capsule of her B6 twice a day), molybdenum to mop up sulfur, Curcumin (try a sprinkle) to close the CBS gate, then RNA CBS+ to mop up ammonia. --Suzanne

@@OC3404, I forgot to mention that RNA CBS+ works best when you take some Curcumin first, wait 20-30 minutes, then take the RNA drops. Why? Curcumin closes the gate left open by the CBS++ mutation. Give the Curcumin 20-30 minutes to work then take the RNA drops to mop up any ammonia that was there before the gate was closed. This has worked well for many of us.

@OC3404, regarding the RNA formulas made by Amy Yasko's lab, I and many of my friends have had lots of experience with these. I can tell you that the RNA formula for the CBS+ mutation is a lifesaver for keeping ammonia levels down. Labs have proved it works. Is it expensive? Yes, but none of us have found a less expensive way to reduce ammonia levels in our kids.

@@QZ4430, Amy Yasko has researched this extensively. I found mention of it in this very cool flash cards app, https://quizlet.com/1826547/yasko-snips-flash-cards/ , but I'm sure if you search for her writings, you will find more info. Also, I was part of a Yasko study group for a while. We all spent at least a year intensively studying Dr. Yasko's work, our kids' DNA test results, and comparing notes on their behavior as we addressed the mutations with supplements. All the COMT++ kids could not handle Curcumin/turmeric but they could tolerate the small amount in the product called Liver Nano Detox (or was it Nano Liver Detox?). The problem is that it's a methylator, something COMT++ folks need to be careful with. By the way, ever get intense headaches after eating certain foods? Could be dopamine related. Try treating them by eating some mango or avocado.

@VQ2534, can you point me to any sources where I can learn more about curcumin aggravating COMT? Curcumin is always so highly recommended (in general), so I'm interested to understand this issue with curcumin and COMT.

@VQ2534, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I don't think it's possible for Amy Yasko's RNA supplements to work. RNA would degrade to nothing in a water solution according to the internet. I was interested in her supplements at first, but then I came across a discussion about the logistics of preserving RNA. http://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_I_preserve_RNA_extracts

@YY7961, 500 mg. of molybdenum might be a bit excessive since the RDA is 75-109 mcgs. The low sulfur diet is only a short-term solution while finding your personal CBS trigger. Our bodies need sulfur to function, so my practitioner told me that some of his patients were getting sicker because they cut out too much sulfur. And remember, it's not just sulfur that aggravates CBS. Mold in your environment or in your food can set it off (look at allergy forecasts in your area for mold levels), sulfites (they're hidden everywhere, so look for lists of foods that are safe for people with sulfite allergies and read every label -- conventional grapes even have sulfur dioxide), and methyl donors (are in a surprising number of prescription drugs). I've also personally found that nightshades somehow contributed to my CBS upregulation. I've found that bone broth helps me during CBS flairs.Disclaimer: I'm not a health professional; this is just my personal experience, and you may be different.