B12 Folate

[Alfabeta]

Hi All

I read some time ago that registered alcoholics (alcohol dependent in the pc world) had b12 injections as alcohol destroys b12 in the liver. The other day, I read that folate is wiped out by excessive alcohol intake.

Is it the case that both b12 and folate are affected by alcohol intake and, is it advisable to avoid alcohol altogether if one is either b12 and b9 deficient?

Also, lack of stomach acid prevents the inculcation of b12 is this also the case with folate? If it is, should we supplement folate with folic acid as a matter of course?

Chris

[fbirder]

B12 and folate aren’t going to be significantly affected by moderate alcohol intake.

Lack of stomach acid shouldn’t affect folate absorption.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

B12 is stored in the liver so if you have liver damage you can't store B12 properly so more likelihood of deficiency.

Lack of stomach acidity can affect your ability to digest your food properly which means you could be less efficient at absorbing nutrients.

Some people do find that alcohol seems to affect their ability to process B12 - I certainly find this to be the case ... but I'm not aware of the same applying with folate.

[Alfabeta in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you both for your clarification.

[deniseinmilden]

Few of us with B12 and/or B9 deficiency problems can tolerate any alcohol and only a small amount seems to wipe out our reserves.

There have been several questions around this and you might find more, useful comments if you do a search on "Alcohol" or "Alcohol and B12" or something like this.

Folate is required to make the B12 work properly so is needed alongside it, together with extra potassium, magnesium and iron and a whole range of vitamins and minerals.

Many people find a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate is a minimum alongside their extra B12.

[Alfabeta]

Thank you Denise.

One of the things I find interesting in the comments on the site is the constant reliance on b12 which, provided one has the means to extract it naturally or through injections, one should be able to get enough. But b9 is very hard to get naturally given so many people’s diets - especially men who will see meat as the main meal and the salad etc as a ‘trimming’ which is often left untouched. Furthermore, it is the old English style to over cook vegetables such as sprouts broccoli etc with few people eating asparagus.

I have read that large intakes of b12 will obscure b9 deficiency which, I understand will lead to the same problems as b12 deficiency.

It does seem to be very difficult to get sufficient b9 naturally hence supplementation must be essential.