Could Your Anxiety be Caused by Pyroluria?

Have you heard of pyroluria?

Pyroluria (also known as pyrroles, pyrrole disorder or mauve factor) is not a recognised disease, however, it is a condition strongly correlated with stress and is associated with a number of behavioural, emotional and other disorders. Natural health practitioners may include pyroluria as part of their specialty, especially if they include mineral balancing, heavy metal detoxification or mental health in their areas of expertise. The wonderful part about pyroluria is it can be very easy to treat and identifying the symptoms has made significant improvements in the lives of many clients. Today, many people are suffering needlessly as pyroluria is not widely discussed and people in mainstream medicine are generally not educated in identifying and treating this issue. In addition, many people with pyroluria may be on a number of pharmaceutical medications with a number of side-effects when nutrient supplementation could greatly improve their symptoms.

What is pyroluria?

Pyroluria was once known as “mauve factor”, discovered by Dr Abram Hoffer in 1958.  Pyroluria, involves having high levels of hydroxyhemopyrrolin-2-one (HPL), originally mistaken for kryptopyrroles, in the urine. Higher levels of HPL in the urine have been associated with deficiencies in both zinc and vitamin B6.  Dr Carl Pfeiffer found pyroluria to be one of the major underlying imbalances in some of his schizophrenia patients.

When the body breaks down haemoglobin (oxygen transport protein), HPL is a by-product of this metabolic process, and in most people the levels are low enough to not cause a significant impact on their vitamin status. However, in approximately 10% of the population, the levels of HPL are high enough to interfere with the person’s vitamin status causing a deficiency in these two nutrients (among others). Some major uses of zinc in the body include:

·      As an antioxidant and its deficiency also reduces our major antioxidant, glutathione. Therefore, oxidative stress is increased in people with pyroluria.

·      Zinc is also required for the maintenance of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and therefore, a deficiency is associated with low GABA levels.

·      Zinc also maintains the integrity of the intestinal barrier and a deficiency can result in intestinal permeability or ‘leaky gut’ potentially leading to food sensitivities, allergies and/or autoimmune disease.

·      Zinc protects the cells and increases excretion of heavy metals, therefore, a person with pyroluria may have a higher risk of high levels of heavy metals.

Is pyroluria a genetic disorder?

Pyroluria is thought to be a genetic disorder, however, a specific gene associated with pyroluria has not been identified. Many practitioners will confirm that pyroluria frequently occurs in families, therefore, case taking should include details around family history behaviour, emotions and/or conditions if pyroluria is suspected. It is also important to note that certain people may not exhibit symptoms of pyroluria until an extremely stressful event (emotional or physical). Stress is correlated with higher levels of HPL in the urine and once zinc and vitamin B6 are depleted in the body, it can be difficult to overcome this imbalance until supplementation occurs.

Symptoms of Pyroluria

Zinc is utilised in hundreds of processes in the body, therefore, the symptoms of pyroluria are greatly varied and the levels of HPL also vary in each individual with the disorder. Generally, the higher the levels of HPL, the lower the levels of zinc and vitamin B6. Pyroluria may impact the physical and mental health of a person causing neurotransmitter imbalances, emotional issues, hormone imbalances, compromised immunity and/or a host of gut issues.

Zinc also helps to balance out copper levels, therefore, with a zinc deficiency, copper imbalance is common. Therefore, many of the symptoms associated with pyroluria are also copper imbalance symptoms. People with pyroluria may have a history of or have/are:

·      A low stress tolerance

·      Feeling overwhelmed

·      No hunger signal in the morning

·      A highly sensitive personality

·      Concentration difficulties/ADHD

·      Behavioural issues or hyperactivity

·      Mood issues/angers easily

·      Anxiety

·      Depression

·      Bipolar

·      Schizophrenia

·      Addictions (especially alcohol)

·      Short stature (low growth)

·      Perform below their ability academically in school

·      Low self-esteem (especially in younger years)

·      Ear, nose, throat infections or recurrent colds/viruses

·      Food sensitivities

·      Gut issues

·      Hormonal imbalances/conditions eg endometriosis

Testing for pyroluria

One form of testing is a urine test for HPL. Originally, a result of over 20 mg/dL was considered positive for pyroluria and a result of between 10 mg/dL and 20 mg/dL was a borderline result. However, there are now other labs that say the reference range is over 40mg/dL for pyroluria so there is some debate. HPL is also very sensitive to UV light, therefore, the accuracy of these results depends on the handling of the urine sample.

Another way to look at pyrroles is to do a blood test for zinc, serum copper and caeruloplasmin. The ratio of zinc to copper should be approximately 1:1. The caeruloplasmin levels enables the practitioner to calculate the free copper in the blood that may indicate a copper imbalance.

Finally, on a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), pyroluria is often indicated by high levels of zinc and/or magnesium indicating a loss of these minerals (in the absence of supplementation) and may potentially lead to high copper levels. A combination of these tests can be performed, however, the focus needs to be less on labelling the condition and more on treating the individual and optimising their health.

Treating pyroluria

The best diet for pyroluria is similar to the paleo/pagan diet where meat/eggs are included with high amounts of whole foods including fruit, vegetables and nuts/seeds with low/no grains. Food would preferably be organic. It is best to avoid highly inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy and sugar. If there are any food sensitivities then individual testing is recommended. You also need to be mindful that zinc protects the cells from heavy metals therefore, high risk foods such as tuna should be avoided. Foods that contain copper are not advised to be removed from the diet because many food sources of copper are healthy and may contain good quantities of antioxidants and other nutrients important for anyone with pyroluria.

Generally, supplements that may be useful include zinc, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Other nutrients that are frequently depleted are other B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA found in evening primrose oil), in addition to individualising supplements based on the person’s case history and testing results. For people with low caeruloplasmin levels, adrenal and liver support is also required and finally, for high HTMA copper, a copper detox is recommended.

As an accredited HTMA practitioner and naturopath, pyroluria is part of my specialty and I have undertaken additional courses (post my degree) on pyroluria and treated a number of clients with this condition. If you have any queries regarding pyroluria, please feel free to book in a complimentary discovery call.