Folate

same.

So many women, when they're pregnant, they start taking a prenatal that is just loaded up with this synthetic folic acid.

There's a lot of data to show that that can help prevent things like neural tube defects, which is an incomplete closure of the spinal column.

It's true.

It With more and more people recognizing that they may have a mutation with a certain gene that relates to B9, I think we should talk about it.

There's a very common problem with a gene that is called MTHFR.

It involves an enzyme in converting folic acid into the active form So your body can use it.

So if you have a problem with this gene, your ability to get this active form of B9 is greatly inhibited.

This is GMJ Audio from the Georgian Medical Journal News.

Folic acid reduces neural tube defects by 36% across all populations, including MTHFR variants.

Editorially reviewed by Profar, Georgi Pakadze, MD, MPH, PhD, GMJ News Desk.

Strong evidence folic acid supplementation has achieved one of public health's most significant victories, a 36% reduction in neural tube defects across all population groups, including individuals carrying MTHFR gene variants.

Despite widespread online claims that folic acid is harmful or ineffective for certain genotypes, evidence-based research demonstrates consistent protection across diverse genetic backgrounds making continued advocacy for periconceptional folic acid supplementation medically sound key takeaways folic acid supplementation reduces neural tube defects by 36 regardless of mthf type status Public health guidelines recommending folic acid for all women of reproductive ager remain evidence-based and effective.

Genetic testing to determine folic acid need is not supported by current clinical evidence and may discourage protective supplementation.

36 cent.

Reduction in neural tube defects achieved through folic acid supplementation across all genotypes neural tube defect.

It's the cause of all of your diseases.

And also you need to entirely avoid things like folic acid, which is fortified in enriched grains in North America, too.

And you need to buy fancy methyl folate supplements.

And there's a you know, this was like on naturopath blogs in the late 90s, early 2000s, like right at the forefront of the Internet.

Yeah.

For a while, I thought it was kind of dying down, and then now it's made a huge comeback as this current administration said a lot of things about folate, and then there's these designer prenatal vitamins that have come around that put methylfolate instead of folic acid in.

Basically, women of reproductive age that are recommended to take folic acid, people have decided, actually, that's toxic for half the population that carries these genetic variants, despite... really no data to support this and data that folic acid is very stable and efficacious at reducing neural tube defects.

People decided that you need this designer vitamin that costs like 20 times as much to actually be healthy and that it will cure all of your problems.

is the

paradox? Well, in 1998, in a landmark move to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida in developing fetuses, the FDA mandated that all enriched grain products in the United States, breads, cereals, pastas, be fortified with synthetic folic acid.

Right.

I remember that.

A massive epidemiological study in Boston found true deficiency in only 0.06% of the individuals they tested.

Oh, wait, I have to stop you there.

If the FDA mandated folic acid fortification nearly three decades ago and true deficiency is essentially eradicated at point zero six percent, then why are we even discussing this as a psychiatric intervention? The problem is solved.

True deficiency is eradicated, but insufficiency is decidedly not.