How Your COMT Genotype Affects Polyphenol Intake

While COMT is most known for understanding the variation of dopamine’s baseline level and metabolic breakdown, a lesser-known connection is how each genotype affects polyphenol intake.

Multiple studies^1,2 in men and women have found that green tea polyphenols were retained the highest in the homozygous AA genotype, to a lesser extent in the heterozygous genotype (in men but remained high in women), and the lowest in the wild-type GG genotype. Due to the lowest retention for the GG genotype, the dosage of green tea would need to be higher and more frequent to obtain the same benefit.

Catechol Polyphenols and COMT

Catechol polyphenols – green tea, coffee, berries, and chocolate – inhibit COMT. The heterozygous and homozygous genotypes already experience COMT moving at a reduced rate which means further inhibition allows longer retention of these polyphenols. Further inhibition also means that the tolerance for catechols is lower, while the requirement and tolerance are higher in the wild-type GG genotype.

Depending on your needs, one or more of these polyphenols may be required to help achieve your goal. Getting the dosage right can mean seeing a result or falling short of the benefit.

Check Your Nutrition Genome Report

To quickly see your polyphenol requirement, check out the Phytonutrient module under the Macronutrient Metabolism tab of the Nutrition Genome Report.