Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsContradictory and Error-Riddled
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017
I'm honestly baffled at this book's having so many 5-star reviews. It is RIDDLED with contradictions and factual errors, and large chunks of the book are "borrowed" from other sources. (They're credited, but still...we're talking entire chapters.) In some chapters, folic acid is recommended; in others, it's recommended AGAINST. It's unclear whether this is the result of numerous typographical errors ("folic acid" where it should say "folinic acid") or simple contradiction because the information is cobbled together from so many sources. A low-methionine diet is recommended, and then several chapters later the reader is told at length that low methionine is a common problem. Most of the "avoid" foods in the diet chapter have no explanation offered for why, specifically, they would be contraindicated for those with MTHFR polymorphisms. The sections on over- and under-methylation are a little difficult to follow, but it would appear he may use the terms in an opposite manner from what most others do, which is extremely confusing.
Factual errors and mislabeling abound. For example, "Don't forget to add... B6 (25 mg -- in the form of hydroxycobalamin)..." (pg. 94). Hydroxycobalamin is not B6; it's B12. "If your Whole Blood Histamine is less than > 25-40...you should avoid and take folate." (pg. 93) That isn't a "less than" sign; it's a "greater than" sign, and "avoid and take folate" doesn't even make sense. (I assume there's another substance that should be listed in the sentence.) "Even if you are Heterozygous (have both the A1298C and the C677T)..." (pg. 143) This is COMPOUND heterozygous -- an important distinction from simply "heterozygous."
The book even says, "Research does not support the belief that having this gene polymorphism means these people have poor folic acid metabolism"! (pg. 41) If the author doesn't believe MTHFR causes the issues it's believed to cause, then why write the book? (This line is, fortunately, contradicted in other portions of the book.)
With so many contradictions and errors, it is difficult to trust any of the information provided. How does the reader know that a detail with which he is not familiar is not erroneous, as well? I would particularly recommend against this book for newbies to MTHFR, as it's both misleading and abundantly confusing.
Having said all that, if you're willing to do some research on your own, there is some benefit to be had from this book. It can bring up new information/points you weren't aware of, that are a good starting point for independent research (to verify the veracity of the claims). I'm not sorry I read it. But I wouldn't recommend it for most readers.
