Folic Acid - Supplement

I have read several articles about folic acid's association with an increased risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women.  The best I can figure out is that we shouldn't be taking more than 400 mcgs total per day.  My daily vitamin has 400, and when I checked my Vitamin B Complex -- there's another 400.  Plus all that's added to our fortified foods.  I'm going to stop taking my B Complex and start taking a B12 only, along with my daily.  But, beware -- the new Centrum Silver has upped it's folic acid to 500 mcgs.

I have been told by my doctors to avoid taking mega levels of any vitamins.  I'd like to know of a good vitamin that has the appropriate levels of the daily vitamins we need - that doesn't have over 400 mcgs of folic acid or iron in it.

Thanks  to you and to this Board.  There is so much good information and sharing here.  I'm six years out, Stage II -- 54 years old.

I used to be a formulator of commercial vitamin supplements, so you might be suprised that I'd suggest that if you can eat normally and regularly and get at the very least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, you might be fine skipping a multivitamin altogether. Or taking a specific nutritional supplement for a specific indication for a limited time, not a multivitamin every day.

The problem with folic acid supplementation in progression of tumors and cancers is not so much that it is somehow toxic but that it can mask vitamin B12 deficiency. If you've got some condition that limits stomach acid, or if you take antacids regularly, or if you have had colon reduction, then there is a special problem with excess folic acid.

The only way I'd know that you get an "early warning signal" of possible ill effects of excess folic acid would be unusual fluctuation up or down of your homocysteine levels compared to a baseline, which most doctors don't take. But I also think you'd have all your bases covered if you just got those fruits and vegetables, and that specific antioxidants (again, in moderation) like the curcumin from curry would be more helpful than a multivitamin.

And I used to go round and round with companies on the subject of iron fortification. Most men and women past menopause just don't need it, and nobody should take supplemental iron without a blood test showing they need it. On the other hand, your body won't absorb the iron in a fortified cereal very well unless you happen to eat it at the same time as you drink something like orange juice. The phytates in the cereal block the absorption of the added iron (now doesn't that make a lot of sense).

I don't mean to be glib, and I certainly don't know everything. I hope this helps, and I'd be glad to put on my thinking cap if it doesn't. Best wishes.

On 3/8/2008 Robert52 wrote:

I used to be a formulator of commercial vitamin supplements, so you might be suprised that I'd suggest that if you can eat normally and regularly and get at the very least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, you might be fine skipping a multivitamin altogether. Or taking a specific nutritional supplement for a specific indication for a limited time, not a multivitamin every day.

The problem with folic acid supplementation in progression of tumors and cancers is not so much that it is somehow toxic but that it can mask vitamin B12 deficiency. If you've got some condition that limits stomach acid, or if you take antacids regularly, or if you have had colon reduction, then there is a special problem with excess folic acid.

The only way I'd know that you get an "early warning signal" of possible ill effects of excess folic acid would be unusual fluctuation up or down of your homocysteine levels compared to a baseline, which most doctors don't take. But I also think you'd have all your bases covered if you just got those fruits and vegetables, and that specific antioxidants (again, in moderation) like the curcumin from curry would be more helpful than a multivitamin.

And I used to go round and round with companies on the subject of iron fortification. Most men and women past menopause just don't need it, and nobody should take supplemental iron without a blood test showing they need it. On the other hand, your body won't absorb the iron in a fortified cereal very well unless you happen to eat it at the same time as you drink something like orange juice. The phytates in the cereal block the absorption of the added iron (now doesn't that make a lot of sense).

I don't mean to be glib, and I certainly don't know everything. I hope this helps, and I'd be glad to put on my thinking cap if it doesn't. Best wishes.

My dad was taking JUICE PLUS. What do you think about those? I know in today's world it is sometimes hard to eat correctly with our busy schedules. They come in both fruit and vegitable forms. He was taking them because it was hard for him to eat a lot and was missing out on his much needed food groups. It's just a thought. I don't know if you've studied this product or not!!

Kristen

It's basically a good product.

The (hope I'm remembering which nutrients they are correctly) elevations in beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and selenium from using Juice-Plus are associated with lower risk---but about that in a moment--of cancers of various epithelial or "lining" tissues all over the body: cervix, uterus, mouth, prostate, etc.

There's also some evidence that you aren't feeding cancer cells by providing your body with these nutrients (the same you might if you, say, took an iron supplement). But I also think the real thing is always preferable, and so do the makers of Juice Plus.

There's always a broader range of nutrients, some science knows about and some science doesn't, in the real fruit or vegetable than in the extract. Also, "ash" is alkalizing. Particularly in cancers that involve the digestive or urinary tracts, shifting the acid-base balance of the fluids involved in digestion or elimination seems to be cancer-protective (and I've seen some really remarkable results in a limited number of cases just from eating fruits and veggies).

But I suppose the main reason I'd prefer not to use the product is, if you're too busy to eat, say, half a grapefruit, you're probably too busy to take care of yourself in other ways. I'd use all that time pressure as a symptom of the area of life that needs to change to give the body a chance to get better.

I haven't taken time to be brief. It is basically a helpful product, and way better than hot dogs and Slurpees. Be well!