Genetic Methylation Test

The PlexusDx Genetic Methylation Test is an advanced DNA test that analyzes genetic variants to generate 300+ personalized reports for Methylation, Detoxification, plus Diet & Nutrition. The reports examine key genes like MTHFR, COMT, BHMT, AHCY, MTR, and MTRR that influence detoxification, methylation, hormone balance, and overall wellness.

The test includes the Methylation Pathway, Detoxification, and Diet & Nutrition genetic reports.

No. This test evaluates multiple genes involved in methylation-related pathways to provide broader, more actionable insights.

Methylation is one of your body’s most important “back-end” systems - quietly powering everyday functions like energy production, brain chemistry balance, detox support, cellular repair, and healthy aging. The PlexusDx Methylation Pathways panel looks at the core genetic pathways that control how efficiently you create, recycle, and use methyl groups (your body’s tiny biochemical “switches”) and highlights where you may benefit most from targeted nutrition and lifestyle support.

Core methylation cycles: the foundation of cellular function

This section starts with the two central hubs of methylation:

• Folate cycle: Helps process folate into active forms your body uses for DNA building, repair, and methylation. Genetic differences here can affect methylation efficiency and the need for specific folate forms in diet/supplement plans.
  
• Methionine cycle: Drives production and recycling of SAMe, the body’s primary methyl donor. This cycle influences methylation capacity, neurotransmitter balance, and homocysteine handling.
  

Together, these cycles influence how smoothly your body runs key “maintenance” tasks especially under stress, poor sleep, heavy training, or nutrient gaps.

Pathways that connect methylation to detox, antioxidant defense, and recovery

Methylation doesn’t work alone. It feeds into downstream pathways that strongly affect how you feel:

• Transsulfuration: Connects methylation to sulfur metabolism and is a key route for producing glutathione precursors. This can influence antioxidant capacity, inflammation balance, and recovery from oxidative stress.
  
• Glutathione redox cycle: Evaluates how well your body may recycle glutathione—your “master antioxidant”—which supports cellular protection and resilience.
  
• Formate metabolism: Supports one-carbon metabolism, which ties directly into methylation and DNA synthesis pathways.
  

This is where genetics can help explain why two people can eat similarly, but feel very different in terms of stamina, recovery, and sensitivity to stressors.

Brain and mood-linked methylation: focus, calm, and sensitivity

This panel also covers methylation pathways with direct links to brain chemistry and nervous system balance:

• BH4 cycle: BH4 is a critical cofactor for making neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine) and for nitric oxide signaling. Genetic differences here may relate to mood, focus, stress response, and overall neurological “drive.”
  
• Neurotransmitter methylation: Looks at how your body may methylate and break down neurotransmitters, which can influence mental clarity, emotional balance, and how you respond to stress.
  
• Histamine degradation: Helps explain histamine sensitivity patterns that may show up as headaches, flushing, congestion, skin reactivity, sleep disruption, or “wired but tired” feelings in some people.
  

Nitrogen balance and cellular growth pathways

Two additional systems round out the methylation picture:

• Urea cycle: Helps clear ammonia and manage nitrogen balance—important for protein metabolism, exercise recovery, and cognitive clarity.
  
• Polyamine cycle: Polyamines support cell growth, repair, and healthy aging processes. Genetics in this pathway may influence how your body manages cellular turnover and resilience.
  

Methylation cofactors: pinpoint the nutrients that matter most for you

Even when genes set the baseline, nutrients are the levers. This panel includes genetic insights related to the cofactors your methylation system relies on, including:

• Betaine and choline (including the choline oxidation pathway) to support methyl donor production and one-carbon metabolism
  
• Folate and vitamin B12 to support folate activation and methylation recycling
  
• Vitamin B6 and riboflavin (B2) to support key enzyme steps across methylation and transsulfuration
  
• Vitamin C, selenium, and zinc to support antioxidant systems and enzyme function
  
• Magnesium and iron to support broad metabolic function and cofactor needs
  
• Methionine (amino acid input) to support SAMe production
  
• NAC (N-acetylcysteine) as a glutathione-building support lever tied to antioxidant capacity
  

Instead of generic advice, these insights help you prioritize the nutrients and habits most likely to move the needle—so your plan is more personalized and less trial-and-error.

What you get from this panel

With the Methylation Pathways panel, you’ll understand where you may be naturally efficient, where you may need extra support, and which dietary and supplement strategies are most relevant for your biology. It’s designed to translate complex pathways into practical, consumer-friendly guidance—helping you make smarter choices for energy, mood, detox support, and long-term wellness.

Detoxification is your body’s built-in cleanup system helping you process everyday exposures from food, air, water, personal care products, and lifestyle choices. The PlexusDx Detoxification panel looks at genetic pathways that influence how efficiently you activate, neutralize, and clear common toxins, and how resilient your body may be to oxidative stress (the “rusting” effect of stress, inflammation, and environmental load). The goal is simple: help you make smarter choices and personalize the support that actually fits your biology.

The detox “two-step”: Phase 1 + Phase 2 clearance

Detox isn’t one pathway, it’s a coordinated process:

• Phase 1 detox: Enzymes convert toxins into intermediate forms so they can be processed further. Some people run Phase 1 “fast,” which can increase reactive byproducts if Phase 2 and antioxidant defenses can’t keep up.
  
• Phase 2 detox: This is the neutralization and “packaging” step—making compounds more water-soluble so they can be safely eliminated through bile, urine, and sweat.
  
• Phase (overall balance): Your genetics can influence whether your detox system is more “activation heavy” or “clearance heavy,” which affects how you may feel with exposures (headaches, fatigue, brain fog, nausea, skin issues, or sensitivity to smells/chemicals).
  

This panel helps highlight whether you may benefit more from supporting clearance, reducing exposure, or strengthening antioxidant capacity.

Oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses

Many detox pathways generate reactive compounds that need to be neutralized. That’s why this report also evaluates your genetic tendency for:

• Oxidative stress: How strongly you may be affected by environmental stressors, inflammation, intense exercise, poor sleep, or high toxin load.
  
• Antioxidant protection: How resilient your body may be at buffering oxidative damage - important for energy, recovery, skin health, and long-term wellness.
  

If your genetics suggest lower antioxidant protection, small changes (diet, sleep, hydration, and targeted nutrients) may make a bigger difference.

Real-world exposure sensitivities and detox pathways

This panel includes genetic insights for common exposures many people encounter regularly:

• Alcohol detoxification: How efficiently your body may process alcohol and related byproducts—useful for understanding sensitivity, recovery, and next-day effects.
  
• Nicotine detoxification: Genetic differences that can affect how your body processes nicotine exposure (including secondhand exposure).
  
• Mold exposure and fungal toxins: Susceptibility patterns related to indoor air quality and mycotoxin-like exposures that can impact how you feel in certain environments.
  
• Heavy metals: Includes lead exposure, arsenic detoxification, and mercury detoxification—helpful for understanding why some people are more sensitive to low-level exposure and may benefit from exposure reduction and supportive habits.
  

Chemical and pollutant sensitivities: modern environmental load

Many everyday items can contribute to chemical exposure. This panel evaluates genetics related to processing and sensitivity to:

• BPA detoxification and phthalate sensitivity (common in plastics and packaging)
  
• PBDE sensitivity (flame retardants found in some furniture and household dust)
  
• Benzene sensitivity, PAH sensitivity (pollutants linked to vehicle exhaust, smoke, and some high-heat cooking exposures)
  
• Glyphosate sensitivity (herbicide exposure patterns)
  
• Organophosphate pesticides and pyrethroid detoxification (common pesticide classes)
  

These insights don’t mean you are exposed - they help identify where reducing exposure may be especially high-ROI for you.

What you get from this panel

The Detoxification report turns complex genetics into practical guidance—helping you:

• Understand your Phase 1 vs Phase 2 detox balance
  
• Identify potential chemical, mold, heavy metal, and pesticide sensitivities
  
• Support your antioxidant defenses and oxidative stress resilience
  
• Make smarter choices around environment, diet, and lifestyle to reduce symptoms and improve day-to-day well-being
  

It’s a clearer way to cut through guesswork and focus on the detox strategies most likely to help your body thrive.

Most nutrition advice is generic. Your body isn’t. The PlexusDx Diet & Nutrition panel translates your DNA into practical guidance on how you may respond to different foods, macros, and key nutrients so you can make smarter choices for energy, body composition, heart health, digestion, and long-term wellness. This report helps you focus on what’s most likely to work for you, not what’s trending.

Macronutrients and diet-style fit

Your genes can influence how you handle carbs, fats, and protein - and which eating patterns you may thrive on:

• Carbohydrates and high carbohydrate diet: Insights into how your body may process carbs and whether a higher-carb approach may be a better or worse fit.
  
• Fatty acids, lipid metabolism, and low fat diet: Looks at fat handling, conversion, and metabolism—useful for tailoring fat intake and food quality.
  
• High protein diet: Helps guide whether higher protein may better support satiety, lean mass, and metabolic goals.
  
• Keto diet: Genetics linked to fat-driven fueling and lipid handling can help determine if a keto-style approach is more likely to be beneficial or challenging.
  
• Mediterranean diet: Evaluates genetic patterns often tied to cardiometabolic response—helpful if you’re aiming for sustainable, heart-healthy habits.
  

Instead of picking a diet from the internet, this panel helps you choose an approach that aligns with your biology.

Heart and metabolic health: lipids, blood fats, and body composition signals

This panel includes genetic insights connected to cardiometabolic markers and how your body may regulate fat storage and blood lipids:

• Cholesterol and triglycerides: Helps you understand tendencies around lipid levels and how strongly diet may impact them.
  
• Adiponectin: A hormone-like signal tied to insulin sensitivity, fat metabolism, and metabolic resilience - genetics here can influence how easily your body stays metabolically “flexible.”
  
• Homocysteine: Elevated homocysteine can be influenced by genetics and nutrient status, and it’s often used as a marker tied to cardiovascular and overall metabolic health.
  

These insights support more personalized decisions around fats, fiber, weight goals, and targeted nutrients.

Digestion and food tolerance: gut and comfort-focused guidance

How you feel after eating matters. This panel includes genetics that can guide dietary choices for digestion and gut comfort:

• FODMAPs diet: Helps identify whether a low-FODMAP approach may be worth trialing for bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, or irregularity patterns.
  
• Microbiome: Highlights genetic influences on the gut environment and how your body may respond to diet patterns that shape microbiome balance.
  

This isn’t a diagnosis - just a smarter starting point for choosing foods that help you feel good day to day.

Micronutrients that matter: vitamins, minerals, and performance nutrients

Your nutrient needs and utilization can vary. This panel helps prioritize the vitamins and minerals most relevant to your genetics, including:

Core vitamins

• Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K
  
• Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, riboflavin (B2), biotin (B7)
  
• Folate
  

Key minerals

• Magnesium, zinc, selenium, iron, copper, manganese, calcium, sodium, phosphate, molybdenum
  
• Choline (also included because of its major role in brain function, liver fat handling, and methyl support)
  

Cellular energy & fitness-support nutrients

• CoQ10 (mitochondrial energy support)
  
• Creatine (strength, power, cognitive/brain energy support)
  
• Carnitine (fat transport into mitochondria for energy)
  
• Lycopene (antioxidant support)
  

The report helps you move beyond a “random multivitamin” approach and focus on nutrients with the highest potential payoff.

Lifestyle nutrition insights you’ll actually use

Finally, it covers practical everyday factors that influence how you feel:

• Caffeine: Understand whether you’re more likely to be sensitive to caffeine, metabolize it slowly, or tolerate it well - useful for sleep and anxiety/energy balance.
  
• Antioxidants: Genetic tendencies that may influence how much you benefit from antioxidant-rich foods (colorful plants, polyphenols, and supportive nutrients).
  

What you get from this panel

The Diet & Nutrition report helps you:

• Choose a diet style (keto, Mediterranean, higher protein, lower fat, higher carb) that’s more likely to fit your biology
  
• Prioritize the vitamins, minerals, and performance nutrients your body may need most
  
• Support heart and metabolic health with more targeted nutrition decisions
  
• Improve digestion and daily energy by reducing food trial-and-error
  

It’s a clearer, more personalized roadmap for eating and supplementing with confidence.

By focusing on genetic factors affecting methylation and detoxification, the test provides insights into cognitive health, cardiovascular wellness, hormone balance, immune function, and antioxidant production.

No. This test uses an at-home cheek swab sample.

Yes. Results include nutrition and supplement guidance based on your genetic pathways.

Results are delivered digitally through your PlexusDx account.

The test examines critical genes such as MTHFR, COMT, BHMT, AHCY, and MTRR, among others, to identify potential genetic bottlenecks that may impact nutrient metabolism, detoxification, and methylation efficiency.

Once your kit arrives, simply register it online, collect your cheek swab sample, and return it using the prepaid mailer. Your sample is analyzed in a secure lab, and results are delivered online with actionable insights.

You’ll get detailed, evidence-based reports with supplement and meal plan recommendations, lifestyle tips, and targeted insights for nutrients like Vitamin B12, Riboflavin, and Folate, plus markers like Homocysteine and PEMT activity.

Unlike generic health advice, Precision Health uses your unique DNA to tailor supplement, diet, and lifestyle recommendations that directly address your genetic makeup for optimal performance and long-term wellness.

The PlexusDx Genetic Methylation Test goes beyond ancestry and basic nutrition insights. It delivers clinically relevant, actionable health strategies backed by over 10,000 clinical trials, helping you turn genetic data into practical wellness outcomes.

Nutrigenomic (NGx) testing investigates the influence of genetic makeup on nutrient needs. The generic advice to “eat right and exercise” means different things depending on your genetics. This test can help you outline what changes you can make to your daily habits that can impact your weight, energy, and overall health.

Everyone can benefit from knowing how your genetics influence your body’s response to nutrition, providing you with a lifetime of guidance.

No. You can order the test directly.

Yes. You can purchase a test for another person. They will need to activate their test kit on our website upon receipt. For minors, parental or guardian consent is required for activation.

Once someone has successfully responded to PGx registration questions, PlexusDx's Clinician Network will order your test for you.

Once we receive your sample at the lab, it takes approximately 10-14 business days to complete the review and analysis for PGx tests and 2-4 weeks for NGx tests.

Yes, the cost of each test is typically reimbursable through both Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

PlexusDx has partnered with Flex to allow you to use your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). This means you can now use your HSA or FSA debit card to buy health and wellness tests with pre-tax dollars, resulting in net savings of 30-40%, depending on your tax bracket.

To use your HSA or FSA debit card, add products to your cart as usual. At checkout, select "Flex | Pay with HSA/FSA" as your payment option, enter your HSA or FSA debit card, and complete your checkout as usual. If you don't see "Flex | Pay with HSA/FSA," you may be in Shop Pay. Select "checkout as guest" to view more payment options.

If you don't have your HSA or FSA card handy, still select "Flex | Pay with HSA/FSA" as your payment method. Enter your credit card information and Flex will email you an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement.

The key here is to make sure you are logged out of Shop Pay. One of the easiest ways to do this is to go through checkout in an incognito window.

HSA/FSA cards are debit cards, and the most common reason for declines is insufficient funds. Reach out to your HSA/FSA administrator to confirm your balance.

Sales tax for eligible items is also covered by HSA/FSA funds. If the customer has a split cart, the tax will be divided among the cards based on the items.

Customer Support is available 9am – 5pm EST Monday – Friday.

877-760-2333

support@tests.plexusdx.com

Receiving your results marks a significant moment in your health journey. They serve as an insightful tool in managing your healthcare effectively. Should you have any inquiries about your results or if you're interested in obtaining clinical advice, please don't hesitate to contact us at results@plexusdx.com.

Additionally, every client who completes our tests has the opportunity to be connected with either a Clinical Pharmacist or Registered Dietitian through the PlexusDx Network upon request.

This DNA test doesn't offer ancestry details.

This DNA test isn't designed to assess your likelihood of developing diseases, including cancer.

Your genetic data is utilized solely for report processing, with no storage or use beyond this requirement. Rest assured, we promptly discard your sample after processing is complete.

No. Your data is for you, and you only.