Folate
Episodes
Dr. Rhonda Patrick covers lithium microdosing, reducing homocysteine, aluminum's link to cancer, and beta-alanine and alpha-lipoic acid supplements.
In this clip, Bruce Ames describes how folate is critical for the transferring of single-carbon groups between molecules.
In this clip, Tim Ferriss discusses his MTHFR status and his experience with vitamin supplementation.
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Exercise Biomarkers Vitamin E Genetics Eyes Caffeine Folate Sulforaphane Sauna Antioxidant Dairy Polyphenol Supplements Wearable TechnologyDr. Rhonda Patrick covers lithium microdosing, reducing homocysteine, aluminum's link to cancer, and beta-alanine and alpha-lipoic acid supplements.
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In this clip, Bruce Ames describes how folate is critical for the transferring of single-carbon groups between molecules.
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In this clip, Tim Ferriss discusses his MTHFR status and his experience with vitamin supplementation.
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Epigenetics Vitamin D Nutrition Exercise Aging Metabolism Sleep Diabetes Telomeres DNA Damage Stem Cells Stress Melatonin Vitamin E Genetics 23andMe Heat Stress Autophagy Autism Folate Sauna AntioxidantOur genes influence the way we absorb and metabolize micronutrients. Nutrigenomics looks at the influence genetic variation has over micronutrient absorption/metabolism and the biological consequences of this dynamic relationship.
Topic Pages
News & Publications
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Higher folate levels during pregnancy may protect against lead's neurotoxic effects, potentially reducing risk of autism-like behaviors in children. ehp.niehs.nih.gov
Lead exposure during pregnancy can harm a child’s developing brain, increasing the risk of autism-related behaviors. Some evidence suggests that folate, a B vitamin, might help protect against lead’s neurotoxic effects. A recent study found that higher folate levels during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of autism-like behaviors in children exposed to lead before birth.
Researchers analyzed data from a large mother-infant cohort study that tracked participants from pregnancy through early childhood. They measured blood lead levels and plasma folate concentrations during the women’s first and third trimesters. They assessed the children for autism-related behaviors when they were three to four years old. They also examined whether folic acid supplementation and MTHFR, a maternal genetic variant influencing folate metabolism, affected these associations.
They found that third-trimester blood lead levels were associated with more autism-like behaviors in children whose mothers had low third-trimester folate levels. They did not observe this association among mothers with higher folate levels. Additionally, folic acid supplementation appeared to reduce the harmful effects of lead exposure. The MTHFR genetic variant influenced the findings, but the effects were not statistically significant.
These findings suggest adequate folate levels during pregnancy may help protect against the neurodevelopmental harm linked to prenatal lead exposure.
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 found in foods, while folic acid is the synthetic form used in supplements and fortified foods. Folic acid has higher bioavailability, meaning the body more readily absorbs it than naturally occurring folate. Learn more about folate in this clip featuring Dr. Bruce Ames.
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A meta-analysis of more than 884 studies (RCTs) finds omega-3, folic acid and CoQ10 among the micronutrients that reduce cardiovascular risk. (2022) www.sciencedaily.comVitamin D Vitamin C Omega-3 Melatonin Magnesium Curcumin Selenium Folate Zinc Polyphenol Carotenoids Cardiovascular Supplements
Omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and CoQ10 reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Some nutritional components benefit cardiovascular health, but others have no effect on cardiovascular health or may even harm it, according to a recent study. Nutritional components providing the greatest benefit include omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a vitamin-like compound produced in the body.
Researchers analyzed the findings of more than 880 trials involving more than 880,000 participants that investigated the benefits of various macronutrients, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds on cardiovascular health.
They found that the nutritional components had varied effects on cardiovascular health. For example, while omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and CoQ10 reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, selenium and vitamins C, D, and E had no effect on the risk for either cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes (which often coincides with cardiovascular disease). On the other hand, beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor) increased the risk of death from all causes. The researchers did not investigate the effects of the various nutritional components in combination versus alone.
This analysis demonstrates that nutrition plays important roles in maintaining cardiovascular and metabolic health and supports the findings of large, epidemiological studies that have demonstrated that adherence to dietary patterns that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and CoQ10, such as the Mediterranean Diet, for example, improves cardiometabolic health.
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Folate reduces risk for Alzheimer’s disease. www.frontiersin.org
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of neurodegenerative disease in older adults, causes a progressive deterioration of cognitive function. Recent research indicates that folate (vitamin B9) deficiency may play a role in Alzheimer’s pathology along with other micronutrients, such as vitamin A. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis reports that folate deficiency increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Folate is an essential nutrient used by the body to create new DNA and RNA and to metabolize amino acids, all of which are necessary for cell division. Good sources of folate include legumes, such as peanuts and chickpeas, and green vegetables such as spinach and asparagus. Previous research has shown that folate supplementation improves cognitive function in older adults through mechanisms that are not well-understood, but likely involve reduced inflammation. Because dose, population characteristics, and testing methods often vary among clinical trials, coming to a consensus about the efficacy of an investigational treatment presents challenges; however, review articles can be a valuable way to combine and report existing data in a new and helpful way. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis, meaning that the authors searched existing literature for studies related to folate and Alzherimer’s disease, collected studies based on a set of criteria meant to select for high-quality design, and then combined the data and reanalyzed it.
The authors selected 59 studies that met their criteria for high-quality design. In a sample of more than 2,000 participants from a collection of case-control studies, participants with folate deficiency (less than 13.5 nanomoles per liter) were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to participants with normal folate status (greater than 13.5 nanomoles per liter). Likewise, data from a collection of five cohort studies revealed that participants with folate deficiency were 88 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to individuals with sufficient folate status. Finally, in a sample of 11 cohort studies, participants who consumed less than the recommended dietary allowance (400 micrograms) were 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who consumed 400 micrograms of folate per day or more.
This review of the evidence supports a relationship between folate intake and serum folate concentration in reducing risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Future studies should utilize an interventional design to investigate the mechanisms of folate in Alzheimer’s pathology.
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Folate deficiency leads to harmful chromosome abnormalities causing cells to inherit the incorrect amount of DNA and chromosome abnormalities. www.eurekalert.org
Folate deficiency leads to harmful chromosome abnormalities causing cells to inherit the incorrect amount of DNA and can even lead to the loss of an entire chromosome.
Folate is high in dark leafy greens. Folate has long been known to be important for the production of new DNA because it is important for making a DNA nucleotide called thymine. It has also been shown to play an important roll in cell division (called mitosis) but this new study sheds light on a potential mechanism for why it is important for proper chromosomal segregation during cell division.
This study analyzed the part or area of the genome called FRAXA, which contains an extensive so-called CGG sequence, a genetic code. Folate deficiency caused abnormalities in cells with an abnormally long CGG sequence and how the entire X chromosome became unstable in cases of long exposure to folate deficiency.
Folate is high in dark leafy greens like chard, kale, spinach, etc.