Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Folic Acid can mask B12 deficiency

I got this from Newswise, a journalists'-only news service that broadcasts breaking health news before it gets out to the general public.

Folate, or its synthetic form, folic acid, is good for brain health. But there’s concern that this brain booster could mask deficiencies in vitamin B-12, which can result in mental decline and other nerve problems. The July issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers why it’s important to have enough of both.

Numerous studies have determined that high levels of folate intake, up to 800 micrograms (mcg) a day, may help ward off cognitive decline, possibly lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and even improve mental sharpness in areas such as memory and mental processing speed.

Folate is also important during pregnancy for the developing fetus, which is why the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 mandated folic acid fortification of grain products sold in the United States.

Vitamin B-12 plays an essential role in red blood cell formation, cell metabolism and nerve function. Where there’s a deficiency, symptoms include persistent tingling in the hands and feet, confusion and forgetfulness.

An estimated 15 percent of older adults are deficient in vitamin B-12. This deficiency can be caused by age-related changes in the digestive tract, which blunt the body’s ability to digest and absorb vitamin B-12 from food. Vegetarians who avoid all animal products and people who have digestive diseases such as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease may also be at increased risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency.

While folic acid offers benefits, there are concerns about how it chemically reacts with vitamin B-12 within the body. It’s suspected that high folic acid intake can correct the anemia — but not the nerve and cognitive deterioration — that would normally occur with vitamin B-12 deficiency. Without the indication of anemia, vitamin B-12 deficiency may not be suspected and neurological deterioration may continue unabated.

More study is needed to fully explore the relationship between folate and vitamin B-12 and how it may affect brain health. Until then, the safest bet is to ensure intake of adequate amounts of both. Most older adults can do this by taking a multivitamin supplement that contains 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of both folate and vitamin B-12. For folic acid, that’s 400 mcg a day and for vitamin B-12, it’s 2.4 mcg a day.

A healthy diet that includes daily servings of fortified breads, grains or cereals and a wide variety of fresh and natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts can boost daily intake of folate or folic acid to the higher levels that may benefit brain health.
Sadly, a lot of folate is lost in the processing of grains, and the cheap folate they pour back on grains may not be the most absorbable form.
Too little folate may put pregnant women in danger of having a fetus with neural tube defects. But there is also some fear that you can get too much folate between taking supplements and eating fortified grains, but since I don't eat grains in general, this is not an issue for me. Since most doctors probably don't ask about your diet (although they probably should), bring it up before you check with your healthcare provider about supplementation. I try to eat a lot of veggies, beans, and nuts. My doc at the Alan E. Beer center has me on precription-only Folgard (generic: Folcaps), a nice combo of b12, folic acid, and b6 (b6 is also helpful for morning sickness).

ALSO, miso (fermented soy or other legumes) when made in the traditional way in wood caskets produces its own b12 in the action of the lacto-fermentation (I have an article coming out in Natural Health Magazine on the health benefits of artisanally fermented foods), another amazing way nature provides what we need. Vegetarians or people like me who don't eat a ton of meat might want to check into miso for a little extra b12 action.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found a great article about diet and fertility.

http://fertilitytesting.co.uk/infertility/natural/diet-and-fertility.html

I always knew these factors were more powerful than most people think!

GreenFertility said...

This is a great article--thanks! I didn't know that about meat; I mean I knew the ammonia issues but didn't think about it vis a vis fertility...I'll look into it!

Susan G said...

Funny to see this headline -- this information has been around for years. I found reference to it, on a quick search of my bookshelf, from a work (c)1978. Adele Davis mentions an FDA limit for OTC folic acid of 100 mcg; Jonathan Wright MD sent his patients to Canada for mg doses in the 70's. I often see newspaper stories about nutrition giving information that has been around for years in the "natural" circles, as "new." Just one of my sources of indignation!

Anonymous said...

What do you mean, B12 is lost in the processing of grains? Grains never have B12 to begin with.

GreenFertility said...

Ooops! I meant folate, sorry, i.e., grains lose folate and thus they pour folate back in. I'll fix the error. Thanks for pointing it out!

Unknown said...

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

Vegans are recommended to ensure their diet includes foods fortified with vitamin B12. A range of B12 fortified foods are available. These include yeast extracts, Vecon vegetable stock, veggieburger mixes, textured vegetable protein, soya milks, vegetable and sunflower margarines, and breakfast cereals.

The only reliable unfortified sources of vitamin B12 are meat, dairy products and eggs. There has been considerable research into possible plant food sources of B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds and algae have all been proposed as possible sources of B12. However, analysis of fermented soya products, including tempeh, miso, shoyu and tamari, found no significant B12.

Spirulina, an algae available as a dietary supplement in tablet form, and nori, a seaweed, have both appeared to contain significant amounts of B12 after analysis. However, it is thought that this is due to the presence of compounds structurally similar to B12, known as B12 analogues. These cannot be utilised to satisfy dietary needs. Assay methods used to detect B12 are unable to differentiate between B12 and it's analogues, Analysis of possible B12 sources may give false positive results due to the presence of these analogues.

Researchers have suggested that supposed B12 supplements such as spirulina may in fact increase the risk of B12 deficiency disease, as the B12 analogues can compete with B12 and inhibit metabolism.

The current nutritional consensus is that no plant foods can be relied on as a safe source of vitamin B12.

GreenFertility said...

Thank you for such an informative comment.

But I'm wondering--there are a number of societies where people have been veg for generations...

xenical said...

Great health comes along with great exercise. Having a steady maintained diet along with a daily routine of exercising can sometimes seem a bit too hectic to lay on someone since everybody's got a hard work schedule and it just seems impossible to keep up with it. But, that's where people get it twisted. That's how I thought when I was younger. But as time progressed, I needed to progress as well. So I did it. I made time for a my meals, my exercising routines, and of course my life of working. And let me tell you what, it worked! Number one thing that the Most Successful people in the world share in common is time management. I'm not asking you to re-route your daily life, but take no more than 1 minute to think about what it is you want, and 3 minutes to literally sit down and plan it out for ahead of time! Trust me, you will most definitely see results :)

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