Got 23andMe results? What your raw data can tell you about methylation

Your 23andMe results hold more than your reports show

Maybe you took a 23andMe test for the ancestry map, then someone mentioned MTHFR and you started wondering about yours. You don’t need a new test to find out. Your 23andMe raw data already contains many of the well-studied variants linked to methylation, including MTHFR (rs1801133 and rs1801131), MTR, MTRR and COMT.

Methylation is the process your body uses to recycle homocysteine, process stress hormones and switch genes on and off, and it runs on folate and B12. This guide shows you how to find and read these variants. If you’d rather skip the detective work, a 23andMe methylation report reads the whole file for you in minutes.

This article explains:

What is in a 23andMe raw data file?

23andMe uses a genotyping chip rather than sequencing your whole genome. The chip reads several hundred thousand positions where people commonly differ, known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Your raw data is a long text file with one SNP per line.

Which methylation genes can you check in 23andMe raw data?

Methylation relies on many genes working together. Four of the most searched, MTHFR, MTR, MTRR and COMT, all show up in 23andMe raw data. If a variant slows one of them down, the wider system can lean harder on nutrients such as folate and B12.

What does MTHFR rs1801133 mean on 23andMe?

If you have AA at rs1801133, you carry two copies of the MTHFR C677T variant. AG means one copy and GG means none. If that doesn’t match what you’ve read elsewhere, it’s because 23andMe reports this gene on the opposite DNA strand to most research papers, so C and T show up as G and A.

MTHFR makes 5-MTHF, the active form of folate your cells use. C677T is common: in many populations around 4 in 10 people carry one copy. With two copies, homocysteine tends to run higher, especially when folate or riboflavin (B2) intake is low, because the enzyme relies on B2 to stay stable. The second variant, A1298C (rs1801131), has a milder effect. Our MTHFR guide explains each result in more depth.

What do MTR and MTRR variants mean on 23andMe?

MTR rs1805087 and MTRR rs1801394 are the best-known B12-related methylation variants in your file. For both, GG means two copies of the variant, AG means one and AA means none. Neither has a big effect alone, and most people of European descent carry at least one copy of the MTRR variant.

MTR uses B12 to pass a methyl group from 5-MTHF to homocysteine, and MTRR keeps that B12 in working order.

What does COMT rs4680 mean on 23andMe?

AA at rs4680 means two copies of the slower COMT version, known as Met. AG gives you one of each, and GG means two copies of the faster Val version.

COMT uses a methyl group to break down dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. With the slower version, dopamine stays active for longer. Research links this with sharper focus when life is calm and a bigger reaction when it isn’t. Stride’s “Warrior or Strategist” report is built on this variant.

What do CYP1A2, FTO and SOD2 show in 23andMe data?

These three come up again and again in 23andMe searches. CYP1A2 and FTO sit outside methylation and say more about how you handle coffee and food, while SOD2 also features in Stride’s methylation report.

What does CYP1A2 rs762551 mean for caffeine?

AA at rs762551 means you tend to clear caffeine quickly, particularly if you drink coffee regularly. AC and CC point to slower clearance, so that 3pm coffee may still be in your system at bedtime. CYP1A2 does most of the work of breaking caffeine down.

What does FTO rs9939609 mean?

Each A at rs9939609 is linked with slightly higher body weight, so AA carries the strongest link and TT the weakest. FTO acts mostly through appetite, and staying active weakens its effect. It describes a tendency, not your fate.

What does SOD2 rs4880 mean?

SOD2 makes an antioxidant enzyme that works inside your mitochondria, and your rs4880 result tells you which version you carry. Evidence on this variant is mixed, so read it as background rather than something to act on.

How do you read 23andMe genotypes correctly?

Open your raw data file in a text editor, press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac), search for the rsID and check the two letters in the last column against this table.

Genes describe tendencies, not what’s happening in your body right now. Blood tests show where you stand today. In the UK, Optimal Bloods checks folate and active B12 from home, and your GP can test homocysteine. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, follow your GP or midwife’s advice on folic acid, whatever your MTHFR result says. Our pregnancy biomarkers guide has more.

What does a methylation report show that a lookup cannot?

A Stride methylation report looks at five linked pathways and rates each one Normal, Moderate or Impaired, using every relevant gene at once. It then explains your genotypes in plain English, with food, supplement and testing advice.

Your MTHFR result can look perfectly reassuring while your Methionine Cycle runs slowly because of variants that affect how you absorb and recycle B12 or make choline. Your advice follows that combination, not a single gene.

What else can your 23andMe raw data reveal?

Your raw data also holds clues about nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress and skin. The StrideDNA methylation report alone reads 17 genes. Across every report, Stride reads 118 SNPs in more than 100 genes.

How do you get a methylation report from 23andMe data?

Upload your 23andMe raw data file to Optimal DNA Link (23andMe), and Stride, a UK preventative health company, turns it into your methylation reports within minutes.

Every order includes an expert consultation, because detailed reports raise questions. A Stride nutrition expert walks you through your results and helps turn them into a plan that fits your diet and routine.

Never taken a DNA test? The DNA & Methylation Test gives you the same reports from a fresh sample. If your results point towards methylated folate, MS-01 provides 400 µg methylfolate and 5 µg methylcobalamin, with vitamin B6 and betaine. Folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 contribute to normal homocysteine metabolism. For broader daily cover, SD-01 is an all-in-one multivitamin with active-form B vitamins, delivered using liposomal technology for absorption. Stride DNA reports inform your choices rather than diagnose.

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