Anti Vitamin Propaganda, Folic acid

[Guest guest]

Hello,

there has been some anti folate propaganda in the press citing the following

paper:

 

<<Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, Scherr PA,

Schneider JA.

Arch Neurol. 2005 Apr;62(4):641-5.    

Dietary folate and vitamin B12 intake and cognitive decline among

community-dwelling older persons.

<<<<<<<<<<<

 

I found the same kind of propaganda on this email list:

orthomolecular

After I sent comments on that paper to the mentioned list I found that I

could no longer post there.

So I try to post my comment on this list, in the hope this list is

uncensored,

 

 

here it is:

 

People who read the abstract or see citations of that paper may get the

following impression:

" high folate intake (of as little as 742 µg/d !) is somehow associated with

more rapid cognitive decline in the elderly " .

They may most probably do not get the message that there is only a

statistical correlation, which in fact means that with high probability these

data are

meaningless because there is simply not the slightest proof of causality

between folic acid intake and cognitive decline. While the literature is full of

papers showing that folate deficiency can cause neurological disease including

mental decline and dementia reversible after giving " excessive " folic acid. In

other words that paper does NOT say that folic acid promotes cognitive decline,

it only says that under the special meaningless design of this study there

was a meaningless significant statistical correlation between the 2 parameters

hypothetical folate intake and cognitive decline.

 

The authors state in their paper that a limitation of the study is the

reliance on the food frequency questionnaire as the sole measure of folate

intake.

Folate intake was not measured nor were serum concentrations of folate

measured.

citation from paper:

" which prevents examination of whether vitamin deficiencies can account for

the results. In addition, due to the potential for spurious associations in an

observational study design, we must caution against a causal interpretation of

the findings "

 

 

With that comment I dont want to state that high dose folic acid has no

possible side effects.

Anyone who has experience with high dose folic acid like 50mg/d for 2 months

knows that there are sometimes strage and diverse side effects in some people.

700 µg/d is not much however. I am myself quite unsure about the long time

safety of even quite low doses, but I am also unsure about long time effects of

not taking at least a minimum of extra folic acid.

 

 

2 examples of claimed side effects:

 

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/324/7352/1512#23344

 

Hommes OR, Hollinger JL, Jansen MJT, Schoofs M, Vanderweil T, Kox

JCN.Convulsant properties of folate compounds: some considerations and

speculations.In:

Botez MI, Reynolds EH,  eds.Folic acid in neurology, psychiatry and internal

medicine. New York: Raven, 1979.

 

 

here some more folate references:

 

BMJ 2002;324:1512-1515

Folic acid, ageing, depression, and dementia

E H Reynolds,

Folate deficiency is associated with depression and dementia In elderly

people it may be related to ageing, poor diet,malabsorption, drugs, or increased

demand or be unexplained Folic acid has particular effects on mood and cognitive

and socialfunction Impaired folate metabolism may result in a pattern of

cognitive dysfunction that resembles ageing The duration of folate deficiency

and

of its treatment is as importantas the degree of deficiency and the dose of

folic acidFolic acid should be used with caution in the presence of vitamin

B-12deficiency or epilepsy Folic acid is important in the nervous system at all

ages,but in elderly people deficiency contributes to ageing brain

processes,increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia and,if

critically

severe, can lead to a reversible dementia    

 

1.       Reynolds EH.Mental effects of anticonvulsants, and folic acid

metabolism. Brain 1968;91:197-214       

2.       Botez MI, Reynolds EH, eds.Folic acid in neurology, psychiatry and

internal medicine. New York: Raven, 1979.       

3.       Bottiglieri T, Crellin R, Reynolds EH.Folate and neuropsychiatry.In:

Bailey LB,  ed.Folate in health and disease. New York: Marcel Dekker,

1995:435-462.       

4.       Reynolds EH.Benefits and risks of folic acid to the nervous system.

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2002;72:567-571    

5.       Shorvon SD, Carney MWP, Chanarin I, Reynolds EH.The neuropsychiatry

of megaloblastic anaemia. BMJ 1980;281:1036-1042    

6.       Clarke R, Smith AD, Jobst KA, Refsum H, Sutton L, Ueland PM,  et

al.Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine levels in confirmed

Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol 1998;55:1449-1455.       

7.       Selhub J, Bagley LC, Miller J, Rosenberg IH.B vitamins, homocysteine

and neuro cognitive function in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr

2000;71(suppl):S614-S620.       

8.       Snowdon DA, Tully CL, Smith CD, Riley KP, Markesbery WR.Serum folate

and the severity of atrophy of the neocortex in Alzheimer disease: findings

from the nun study. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:993-998     

9.       Seshadri S, Beiser A, Selhub J, Jacques PF, Rosenber IH, D'Agostino

RB,  et al.Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's

disease. N Engl J Med 2002;346:476-483

10.       Hommes OR, Hollinger JL, Jansen MJT, Schoofs M, Vanderweil T, Kox

JCN.Convulsant properties of folate compounds: some considerations and

speculations.In: Botez MI, Reynolds EH,  eds.Folic acid in neurology, psychiatry

and

internal medicine. New York: Raven, 1979.       

11.       Botez MI, Fontaine F, Botez T, Bachevalier J.Folate-responsive

neurological and mental disorders: report of 16 cases. Eur Neurol

1977;16:230-246 

   

12.       Reynolds EH, Rothfeld P, Pincus J.Neurological disease associated

with folate deficiency. BMJ 1973;ii:398-400.       

13.       Runcie J.Folate deficiency in the elderly.In: Botez MI, Reynolds

EH,  eds.Folic acid in neurology, psychiatry and internal medicine. New York:

Raven, 1979:493-499.       

14.       Carney MWP, Chary TKN, Laundy M, Bottiglieri T, Chanarin I,

Reynolds EH,  et al.Red cell folate concentrations in psychiatric patients. J

Affect

Disord 1990;19:207-213     

15.       Reynolds EH, Preece JM, Bailey J, Coppen A.Folate deficiency in

depressive illness. Br J Psychiatry 1970;117:287-292

16.       Bottiglieri T, Laundy M, Crellin R, Toone BK, Carney MWP, Reynolds

EH.Homocysteine, folate, methylation and monoamine metabolism in depression. J

Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2000;69:228-232    

17.       Coppen A, Chaudhry S, Swade C.Folic acid enhances lithium

prophylaxis. J Affect Disord 1986;10:9-13    

18.       Coppen A, Bailey J.Enhancement of the antidepressant action of

fluoxitine by folic acid: a randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Affect

Disord

2000;60:121-130

19.       Godfrey PSA, Toone BK, Carney MWP, Flynn TG, Bottiglieri T, Laundy

M,  et al.Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methyl folate.

Lancet 1990;336:392-395     

20.       Botez MI, Botez T, Leveille J, Bielmann P, Cadotte

M.Neuropsychological correlates of folic acid deficiency: facts and

hypotheses.In: Botez MI,

Reynolds EH,  eds.Folic acid in neurology, psychiatry and internal medicine.

New York: Raven, 1979:435-461.       

21.       Bottiglieri T, Reynolds EH, Laundy M.Folate in CSF and age. J

Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2000;69:562       

22.       Sneath P, Chanarin I, Hodkinson HM, McPherson CK, Reynolds

EH.Status in a geriatric population and its relation to dementia. Age Ageing

1973;2:177-182    

23.       Wang H-X, Wahlin A, Basun H, Fastbom J, Winblad B, Frattelioni

L.Vitamin B12 and folate in relation to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Neurology 2001;56:1188-1194           

25.       Passeri M, Cucinotta D, Abate G, Senin U, Ventura A.Oral

5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in senile organic mental disorderswith depression:

results

of a double-blind multicenter study. Aging Clin Exp Res 1993;5:63-71[   26.   

   Rapin JR, Le Poncin M, Grebyl J.Blood folate deficiencies and cognitive

functions in aging. Trends Biomed Gerontol 1988;1:221-223.       

27.       Goodwin JS, Goodwin JM, Garry PJ.Association between nutritional

status and cognitive functioning in a healthy elderly population. JAMA

1983;249:2917-2921       

28.       La Rue A, Koehler KM, Wayne SJ, Chiulli SJ, Harland KY, Garry

P.Nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a normally aging sample: a six

year reassessment. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65:20-29.       

29.       Riggs KM, Spiro A, Tucker K, Rush D.Relations of vitamin B12,

vitamin B6, folate and homocysteine to cognitive performance in the normative

aging

study. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;63:306-314      

30.       Wahlin TBR, Wahlin A, Winblad B, Backman L.The influence of serum

vitamin B12 and folate status on cognitive functioning in very old age. Biol

Psychol 2001;56:247-265      

31.       Reynolds EH, Carney MWP, Toone BK.Methylation and mood. Lancet

1984;ii:196-198.       

 

 

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Arch Neurol. 2005 Apr;62(4):641-5.    

 

Dietary folate and vitamin B12 intake and cognitive decline among

community-dwelling older persons.

 

Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Schneider

JA.

 

RushInstitute for Healthy Aging, Department of Internal Medicine,

RushUniversity Medical Center, Chicago, Ill 60612, USA.Martha_C_Morris

 

BACKGROUND: Deficiencies in folate andvitamin B12 have been associated with

neurodegenerative disease.OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between rates

of age-relatedcognitive change and dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B12.

DESIGN:Prospective study performed from 1993 to 2002. SETTING:

Geographicallydefined biracial community in Chicago, Ill. PARTICIPANTS: A total

of3718

residents, 65 years and older, who completed 2 to 3 cognitiveassessments and a

food

frequency questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Change in cognitive function

measured at baseline and 3-year and 6-yearfollow-ups, using the average z score

of

4 tests: the East Boston Testsof immediate and delayed recall, the

Mini-Mental State Examination, andthe Symbol Digit Modalities Test. RESULTS:

High folate

intake wasassociated with a faster rate of cognitive decline in mixed

modelsadjusted for multiple risk factors. The rate of cognitive decline

amongpersons

in the top fifth of total folate intake (median, 742 microg/d)was more than

twice that of those in the lowest fifth of intake(median, 186 microg/d), a

statistically significant difference of 0.02standardized unit per year (P =

..002).

A faster rate of cognitivedecline was also associated with high folate intake

from food (P fortrend = .04) and with folate vitamin supplementation of more

than 400microg/d compared with nonusers (beta = -.03, P<.001). High totalB12

intake was associated with slower cognitive decline only among theoldest

participants. CONCLUSIONS: High intake of folate may beassociated with cognitive

decline in older persons. These unexpectedfindings call for further study of the

cognitive implications of highlevels of dietary folate in older populations.

 

 

regards, Juergen

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

It happens, that folic acid has been used by doctors, to treat Angina Pectoris,

using astonishingly high doses (80 times RDA!), with " success. " In the

citations I read about, no mention was made by the doctors administering these

doses, of any evidence (or anecdotes from patients), of depression or mental

decline.

JP

-

Pipetman9

Saturday, April 30, 2005 3:19 PM

Anti Vitamin Propaganda, Folic acid

 

 

Hello,

there has been some anti folate propaganda in the press citing the following

paper:

 

(snip)

 

 

[Guest guest]

I've increased my folic acid intake to about 17 mg (17,000 mcg) in addition to

other B vitamins in an attempt to lower homocystine levels with some success.

I weigh it out in a powder since this would be about 20+ 800 mcg tablets.

Homocystine is up to 40 times more predictive of a heart attack than high

cholesterol.

 

--

 

Steve - dudescholar1

 

" Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. "

--Friedrich Nietzsche

 

On Saturday 30 April 2005 5:14 pm, John Polifronio wrote:

> It happens, that folic acid has been used by doctors, to treat Angina

> Pectoris, using astonishingly high doses (80 times RDA!), with " success. "

> In the citations I read about, no mention was made by the doctors

> administering these doses, of any evidence (or anecdotes from patients), of

> depression or mental decline. JP

> -

> Pipetman9

>

> Saturday, April 30, 2005 3:19 PM

> Anti Vitamin Propaganda, Folic acid

>

>

> Hello,

> there has been some anti folate propaganda in the press citing the

> following paper:

>

> (snip)

<snip>