Is MTHFR useful for Sport?

Whether MTHFR is useful for sport is a common question in the context of methylation and recovery. The provided context contains no direct evidence supporting a benefit of MTHFR variants for athletic performance. In the scientific literature, the effects of MTHFR polymorphisms (C677T, A1298C) on sports performance are small and inconsistent. While MTHFR is linked to homocysteine metabolism and indirectly to blood flow, large GWAS studies show no clinically relevant improvement in endurance or strength. Marketing of MTHFR tests for athletes often relies on exaggerated claims. Caveat: single SNPs have minimal predictive power; folate or B-vitamin supplementation should not be based solely on genetic testing. For evidence-based sports optimization, biomarkers such as lactate, VO2max, or iron status are far more informative.