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Is mold causing your health problems?

Written by Joe Cohen, BS | Last updated:

Mold is death.

Mold is the silent killer.

It’s the reason you wake up depressed everyday.

The reason you’re inflamed.

The cause of your brain fog.

If you’re just stepping into the health world, a couple of Google searches will quickly convince you these claims are absolute—because they’re the ones you’ll see the most.

And while I do believe that mold is a big culprit in a lot of health issues, I think too many people are quick to point the finger at mold without considering other potential issues that may be causing your health problems.

In this email, I want to dive deeper and talk about what mold really is, how it impacts your body, the genes that influence your ability to detoxify “bad mold,” and the actionable steps you can take to counteract its negative effects.

Mold & Mycotoxins

Mold is a type of fungi, and we’re exposed to it every single day.

Fungi like mold play an essential role in nature, breaking down organic material and recycling nutrients back into the environment.

While most molds are harmless, there are some that produce microscopic toxins known as mycotoxins that can be harmful to your health.

These are the toxic chemicals produced by certain types of mold as a defense mechanism and can contaminate the air, surfaces, and food.

And when they enter your body, they can potentially cause a whole host of health issues – like chronic fatigue, inflammation, brain fog, or respiratory problems – especially if you carry some genes that aren’t good at detoxifying.

CYP1A2 & Phase 1 Detox

CYP1A2 is an important enzyme in your liver that helps break down substances your body needs to process, like hormones, caffeine, medications, and environmental toxins, including aflatoxins – a harmful mycotoxin.

It’s part of your body’s detox system, specifically what we call Phase I, where it helps modify toxins so they can be further processed and eliminated.

How well CYP1A2 works can vary a lot between people, depending on their genetic variant.

I carry the “AA” genotype for the CYP1A2 gene, which means my body is naturally better at detoxifying aflatoxins (or “mold”).

This gives me an advantage, but some genetic variants can make this detox process slower, leaving toxins to build up and cause more damage.

Understanding your CYP1A2 genotype is a key step toward knowing how well your body handles mold and how to support it if needed.

UGT & Glucuronidation

While CYP1A2 is critical for Phase I detoxification, your body also relies on Phase II detox pathways like glucuronidation to finish the job.

This process helps make mycotoxins easier to eliminate by attaching a substance called glucaric acid to them, reducing their reactivity and allowing them to be safely excreted.

One of the key players in this process are the UGT genes, which produce enzymes that handle detoxifying mold toxins such as zearalenone – a type of mycotoxin.

However, not everyone’s UGT genes work at full capacity.

Certain genetic variants, like UGT1A1*28, can slow enzyme activity by up to 70%, making it harder to clear toxins and increasing the risk of health issues like inflammation, fatigue, and brain fog.

Here are some of the key genetic variants that I carry:

Again, I don’t carry many negative variants, but many people do—which means their body struggles to handle mycotoxins effectively.

This is why understanding your genetic makeup and mycotoxins is so important for figuring out your detox capacity and how to support it.

Mold Summary Report

We’ve just released a new version of the Mold Summary Report, which looks at your genetic sensitivities to foodborne or airborne mold.

It also looks at specific genes – like CYP1A2 and UGT genes – that might predispose you to having bad detox pathways, or to having specific mold sensitivities.

Each of these cards below open up into a whole report with more details.

The first two reports look at your sensitivity to mold in general, whereas the remaining reports look at very specific genes and issues with detoxing that might affect mold sensitivity.

You can view a sample (my own) Mold Sensitivity Report here.

It’s Not Just A “Mold” Issue

Not every health issue can be blamed on mold, but even when mold is the culprit, it’s rarely as simple as just avoiding it.

There are different mold toxins, and each one interacts with your genes in complex ways, playing unique roles in how effectively your body clears these toxins.

That’s why understanding your genetic makeup is so important.

By knowing how your body’s detox system works, you can take targeted, personalized steps to support it, optimize your health, and tackle the root causes of your symptoms with precision.

With SelfDecode, you can uncover your genetic variants related to mold detox pathways and get personalized recommendations tailored to your unique needs.

Whether mold is the issue or not, you’ll gain actionable insights to target the right pathways and optimize your health.

>> IMPROVE YOUR DETOX

 

About the Author

Joe Cohen, BS

Joe Cohen, BS

Joe Cohen flipped the script on conventional and alternative medicine…and it worked. Growing up, he suffered from inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, digestive problems, insomnia, anxiety, and other issues that were poorly understood in traditional healthcare. Frustrated by the lack of good information and tools, Joe decided to embark on a learning journey to decode his DNA and track his biomarkers in search of better health. Through this personalized approach, he discovered his genetic weaknesses and was able to optimize his health 10X better than he ever thought was possible. Based on his own health success, he went on to found SelfDecode, the world’s first direct-to-consumer DNA analyzer & precision health tool that utilizes AI-driven polygenic risk scoring to produce accurate insights and health recommendations. Today, SelfDecode has helped over 100,000 people understand how to get healthier using their DNA and labs.
Joe is a thriving entrepreneur, with a mission of empowering people to take advantage of the precision health revolution and uncover insights from their DNA and biomarkers so that we can all feel great all of the time.

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