Folate brand

[Espeegee]

I'm going to start taking Folate, any recommendations for a brand or strength please? Last folate result was:

Serum Folate

19.10 range 8.83-60.8

[TiggerMe]

Are you already on a good B complex?

[Espeegee in reply to TiggerMe]

Yes

[TiggerMe in reply to Espeegee]

Best not to take more than 400mcg per day so look to top up whatever the short fall is... your folate level isn't bad

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Espeegee]

You can buy any methylfolate of 400mcgs but Jarrows do one thats nice.

I've bought cheaper brands from Amazon and all seem to have worked fine. The Vegavero one is good value at 120 for £13.90.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Why?

As far as I understand, there is no benefit to reaching high in range.

Home > Health Information > Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets > Folate > Folate - Health Professional

Folate

Fact Sheet for Health Professionals

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/F...

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to helvella]

With those results the OP is only 20% through range. Should be well above 50%.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Jaydee1507]

Why?

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to helvella]

Why do we need any vitamin at optimal level. For best use of thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of low vitamin levels can occur within the reference range.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Jaydee1507]

However, the upper limits to folate ranges are frequently recently added. Time was most were simply "greater than" a number. Hence the only interpretation that was really possible was sufficiently over the lower limit to be quite sure of the result and no upper bound.

I suspect one reason for these upper limits being instituted was to serve as an indication that too much is actually possible. Otherwise people can assume that be the result ever so high, there is still no problem.

Both here and over on Pernicious Anaemia Society forum, we have seen members having issues with high intakes (typically 5 milligrams a day, but sometimes taken every other day or whatever).

There are issues with unmetabolized folic acid levels.

Hence the suggestion of a tolerable upper limit of 800 micrograms a day in adults. And a recommended allowance of 400 micrograms a day.

Not a target of half way to the upper limit.

Note, there is no limit to folate as an intrinsic constituent of food.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to helvella]

Speaking for myself I only felt a difference with taking a folate supplement when it was 1,000mcgs. Turned out I do have MTHFR genes which are pretty common.

I dont think I've seen anyone here ever suggest a dose of 5mgs folic acid and folic acid is never recommended as methylfolate is preferable.

With the older, lower reference range members always say they feel better when their level was towards the top of the range around 20.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Jaydee1507]

Not so much that it is suggested people take 5 milligrams a day as some people are prescribed 5 milligrams a day by their doctors. And suffer.

Even if people end up over the upper tolerable intake, I would still go via slowly incrementing intake and whether that is having a beneficial effect rather than targetting 50%.

[Espeegee in reply to helvella]

Why? Because whenever I have posted test results it has been suggested that the level is too low and I should suppplemwnt.