folic acid dosage

[Io1000]

I have seen so many different opinions on the dosage of Folic Acid that would like to know what is the recommended daily dose .I take 400 micro grams daily.Is this correct and is it like B12 to be taken for life? Thank you for reading this.

[helvella]

The other day I posted in Thyroid UK. Though I am no expert, but I keep seeing Thyroid UK forum members taking higher doses of folic acid, or none, or whatever other oddities. I simply tried to collect a bit of information together.

I have ended up thinking that 400 micrograms of folic acid is the ceiling dose for anyone without special issues. Beyond that, unmetabolised folic acid might be an issue. Is Pernicious Anaemia a special issue that justifies a higher dose?

There are the options of methylfolate and folinic acid. in order to have a higher folate intake.

Folic acid and folate supplementation

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Io1000 in reply to helvella]

Thank you helvella,I will read the article you recommend.

[wedgewood]

I would say that 400mcg is fine for most people — Yes , taken for life if you have P.A. Until a cure is found ! I use the methylated type of B9 - called methylfolate .

[Io1000 in reply to wedgewood]

Thank you wedgewood,You always give sensible and thoughtful advice.I will continue with my dosage.Best wishes.

[Nackapan]

400mcg is recommended daily for all women of child bearing age .

I personally ( out of that age group) do not need 400mcg daily as a maintenence .

I take 200mcg every other day now.

My folate was initially low so i took 400mcg folic acid for 3 months to raise blood levels which it did.

Include more folate in your diet too.

Go by your blood results.

[Io1000 in reply to Nackapan]

Thank you Nackapan for your concern and guidance.

[Bellabab]

I take 5mg folic acid every other day at the moment. As I have problems getting enough dark green vegetables I will not take less. This dose has the approval of the consultant who saved my life when I was rushed into hospital close to death with almost no B12 or folate. I believe it is what I need & folate works hand in hand with B12. At times I have taken 5mg. daily for months and had no problems with it whatsoever.

[scnuke]

Everyone is different and everyone's body reacts differently. But the first thing to do is to get your folate levels checked. If you are in the upper third of "normal" range, and you are injecting B12 daily or EOD, there is no need for high dose (5mg) folic acid or other forms for most people. 200 - 400 mcg of folic acid daily or EOD should be fine. If your levels are low, you may need to take a 5 mg supplement for a short time until your levels are back in the upper range of normal. I inject B12 twice daily and take 400mcg folic daily. My folate levels are always at or over the top of the US scale.

[BirdlessBox]

My comment is not about dosage. The research I trust is damning of Folic Acid as a source of Folate. Folic acid is an entirely artificial chemical that does not occur in nature. It requires 400 times more processing by the body to extract any usefulness and blocks the receptors in the meantime so they are not available for the proper, natural forms. Some other members on here have disagreed with me and said (some) people do well on it. Personally, I would opt for Methyl folate or Folinic acid. All I can suggest is you do your own research and discover what is best for you.

[Technoid]

The Recommended Daily Allowance for folates (from food) is 400mcg. Folic Acid is worth double the amount of folic acid from foods : 200mcg folic acid is equivalent to 400mcg of food folates.

There are some life stages in which it is recommended to supplement 400mcg folic acid : see bda.uk.com/resource/folic-a...

400mcg of folic acid is 2x the adult RDA.

Folate is a vitamin and as such, should be part of your diet for life. Whether you need to supplement it and how much, will depend on how much is in your normal diet, your life stage, presence of absorption issues or MTHFR variants (there are probably other considerations but those are what I can think of offhand).

It is not necessary to supplement folic acid or any form of folate "for life" - if you are getting enough folate in your diet for your life stage, absorbing properly and your blood results indicate no issues. B12 supplementation does not affect the folate requirement but folate is important for the function of B12 (and vice-versa), so it's best to ensure you're getting enough.