B Vitamins - For the nerves
Folate (Vitamin B9)
Folate (Vitamin B9) - Adequate Folate is essential for health
Folate is a B-vitamin whose adequate intake from the consumption of folate-rich foods is essential for health
Folate prevents neural tube defects in newborns.
An
adequate folate intake is extremely important for women of childbearing age prior
to and during pregnancy. Mothers on a folate-rich Mediterranean-type diet have shown
lower risks for baies born with Spina Bifida than those not on this type of diet.
Folate for Pregnancy
Folate aids the complete development of red blood cells.
These cells help carry oxygen around the body. When folic acid is deficient,
the red bloods cannot form properly, and continue to grow without dividing.
Folate supports cell production.
Especially cells in skin
and cells lining exposed surfaces and cavities (E.g. cells lining GI tract and oral
cavity). Problems often associated with folate shortage
In
the mouth. Gingivitis, cleft palate, and periodontal disease.In
the skin. Seborrheic dermatitis, vitiligo (loss of skin pigment;Cancers of the esophagus and lung, uterus, cervix, and intestine (especially the colon)
Folate reduces blood levels of homocysteine helping prevent
CVD and possibly Parkinson's disease. Folate, B6 and B12 convert potentially
harmful homocysteine(a by-product of cellular metabolism) into useful compounds.
A high serum homocysteine levelis associated with increased risk of cardiovascular
disease, and low intake of folate is a key risk factor for hyperhomocysteinemia.
Preliminary research also suggests that high homocysteine levels can lead to the
deterioration of DOPAMINE -producing brain cells
and may therefore contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease.
Folate supports nervous system function.
In addition to
its preventive function in neural tube defects in newborns, a folate deficiency
is associatedwith a wide variety of other nervous system problems, including:
General mental fatigu,depression, irritability,
forgetfulness, confusion
Non-senile dementia,
Restless leg syndrome
Nervous system problems in the hands and feet
Insomnia.
Folate's link in these conditions may involve its
role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, to provide a proper balance of these
message-carrying molecules of the nervous system.
Folate is also considered to:
Help prevent osteoporosis-related
bone fractures. Research teams in the Netherlands and the U.S.
confirmed that low levels of dietary folate significantly increases risk of
osteporosis-related bone fractures as a consequence of increased homocysteine levels . Both groups found that folic acid reduced the risk
of osteoporotic fractures by reducing high levels of homocysteine .
- Rotterdam Study
- 2406 subjects aged 55 years or older;those with the highest homocysteine
levels, whether men or women, almost doubled their risk of fracture.
- The Boston team
- found that risk of hip fracture nearly quadrupled in men and doubled
in women
McLean, R.R., et al. 2004. Homocysteine as
a predictive factor for hip fracture in older persons. New England Journal
of Medicine 350(May 13):2042-2049.
PubMed .
van Meurs, Joyce B.J., et al. 2004. Homocysteine
levels and the risk of osteoporotic fracture. New England Journal of Medicine
350(May 13):2033-2041. PubMed .
Help prevent dementias. E.g. Alzheimer's disease. A 2004 study evaluated 228 subjects.
In those whose blood levels of folate were lowest, the risk for mild cognitive impairment
was more than tripled, and risk of dementia increased almost four fold.
Pierluigi Quadri et al,
Homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B-12 in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer
disease, and vascular dementia. Am J Clin Nutr
July 2004 vol. 80 no. 1 114-122 Link
Folate has 3 main components.
PABA, glutamic acid and pteridine.
What's the difference between folate and folic acid?
"Folate"and "Folic Acid" are terms
used interchangeably, but are in fact, significantly different
Folate is a general term for a group of natural
water soluble B-vitamins,known as B9, found in foods.
Folate refers to the various tetrahydrofolate (THF) derivatives naturally
found in foods, such as green vegetables/leaves, beans and brewer's yeast. Folate
is the natural form that enters the main folate metabolic cycle, in the mucosa of
the small intestine
Folic Acid under Scrutiny,British Journal of Nutrition (2007), 98, 665-666
Folic acid refers to a synthesized, oxidized Since its 1943 debut, it
has been used in this crystallized (allbeit stable) form, in dietary supplements
and food fortification (In 1996, the FDA mandated that grain-based foods, such as
bread and cereal, be fortified with folic acid to reduce neural tube defect risk
in fetuses during early pregnancy );
In most
( especially younger) people, folic acid can
be converted by the liver back into folate. Unlike natural
folate, ingested folic acid undergoes initial reduction (by dihydrofolate reductase/DHFR)and
methylation to tetrahydrofolate (THF) in the liver. Under certain
circumstances unmetabolized folic acid can build up in circulation.
With
possible health problems:
Conversion efficiency
declines with age An estimate of up to
5% of people have genetic defects in metabolizing folate from folic acid
Low activity
of DHFR enzyme in the liver combined with a high intake of folic acid .
Several studies have reported the presence of unmetabolized folic acid in the blood
following the consumption of folic acid supplements or fortified foods, which has
been linked with several health problems:
May accelerate cognitive decline in some older individuals; Increased risk
of childhood asthma born to folic-acid supplemented mothers; Increased risk of colon and rectal cancers and accelerated growth of pre-existing
cancers - Prenatal and postnatal supplementation of folic acid in
mothers resulted in the occurrence of higher numbers of cancer tumors. The Prostate,
Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening trial linked folic acid
intake with 20% to 32% increased risk of breast cancer in women consuming more than
400 microg/d supplemental folic acid.
Kim YI. Does a high folate intake increase
the risk of breast cancer? Nutr Rev. 2006 Oct;64(10 Pt):468-75.
PubMed
Chang SC,
Leitzmann MF,
Johnson KA,
Johnson C,
Buys SS,
Hoover RN,
Ziegler RG. Folate intake, alcohol use,
and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian
Cancer Screening Trial.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Apr;83(4):895-904.
PubMed
Hilary J Powers (2007). Folic acid under scrutiny. British Journal of Nutrition,
98, pp 665666
doi:10.1017/S0007114507795326
Conversely, dietary (i.e. natural) folate
is actually protective against breast cancer
Shrubsole MJ ,
Jin F ,
Dai Q ,
Shu XO ,
Potter JD ,
Hebert JR ,
Gao YT ,
Zheng W . Dietary folate intake and breast cancer
risk: results from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study.
Cancer Res. 2001 Oct 1;61(19):7136-41.
PubMed
Unmetabolized folic acid in the blood is associated with
the immune system's decreased natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity.
Aron M. Troen et al, Unmetabolized Folic
Acid in Plasma Is Associated with Reduced Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity among
Postmenopausal Women (2006) J. of Nutr.
LInk
Folate from natural food sources is best
Excellent sources of dietary folate.
Include vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens,
mustard greens, parsley, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, asparagus,
Brussels sprouts, bok choyand lentils.Also calf and chicken liver (choose organic),
and brewer's and baker's yeast
Other good sources. include
corn, beets, tomatoes, dried or fresh beans and peas, and some fruits, including
oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, banana, raspberries,
and strawberries.
Fresh is best.
Naturally occurring folates break down quite rapidly with heat, cold,
light, even when they're still in the food.
Folate Deficiency Symptoms
In its association with the nervous system:
Irritability
Mental fatigue
Forgetfulness
Confusion
Depression
Insomnia.
In its connection to circulation and red blood status
General fatigue
Muscular fatigue
In its role protecting the lining of body cavities
GI tract symptoms (E.g. diarrhea)
Neutrophilic hypersegmentation index (NHI)
test for folate status
This inexpensive blood test can confirm your folate levels
The NHI indicates whether the most rapidly dividing cells in our bodies
have enough folate - neutrophils, other
circulating blood cells, and the cells lining our GI tracts are the most rapidly
dividing cells in our bodies. The NHI determines what percentage of your body's
neutrophils ( type of white blood cell) were supplied with an optimal amount of
folate while they were growing and maturing.The optimum being100% percent.
Dr. Jonothon V. Wright of the Tahoma Clinic
explains the details of this test:
"When neutrophils are "born"and "incubate"in bone marrow, their
chromosomes—DNA—arrange themselves into five segments. A final step in
neutrophil DNA maturation is re-arrangement of those five segments into three.
Normal folate metabolism is a key to this final step. Very shortly after the
five-to-three segment DNA re-arrangement, the fully mature neutrophil is
released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, where it lives out its
months-long life doing its job—one very important part of which is defending our
bodies against germs.
But if there isn't enough folate, the neutrophil's DNA stays in five
(instead of three) segments. When the neutrophil is needed, it's released into
the bloodstream anyway, where it's called a hypersegmented (too many segments)
neutrophil. Fortunately, a hypersegmented neutrophil can still fight germs as
well as a "regular,"three-segmented neutrophil."
A technician counts the number of DNA segments in each neutrophil -by
examining a blood sample under a microscope. The "hypersegmentation index"is
the percentage of five-segment neutrophils counted in a total of 100
neutrophils.
A shortage ofany of
folate, vitamin B12, or zinc (the three key nutrients for mainaining normal keeping cell division)
is likely to
show in rapidly dividing cells first - an indication that the rest
of our body also has enough folate.
Supplementing Folate
You can supplement with folate if your dietary
intake is inadequate. There are two types of OTC
natural
1. Folin ic Acid (not
folic acid). Sold OTC as calcium folinate, or by prescription
as Leucovorin® (contains FD&C yellow #10 and FD&C blue # 1)
2. 5-MTHF (5-methyltetrahydrofolate).
Sold OTC (but more expensive than calcium folinate)
Avoid products with labels that list "folic
acid"or even "folate" (since it is still synthetic folic acid).
Most multivitamins contain folic acid, not folate;
Good brands include:
Solgar , Designs for Health, Thorne, Metabolic Maintenance, Pure Encapsulations.
Look for products that contain the Metfolin brand, or list "5-methyltetrahydrofolate"or "5-MTHF"on
the label.
Add B12 to a folate Supplement.
Not only is B12 a cofactor of folate, but folate can also mask some
B12 deficiency symptoms.
How much folate to supplement
Women planning on
becoming pregnant. 800 - 1000 mcg of folate /day
for several months BEFORE the start of pregnancy
References Dr. Wright and Chris Kresser explain differences between folate/folic acid:
http://tahomaclinicblog.com/folic-acid
http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid
The world's healthiest foods (folate):
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=63
