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Why should you avoid folic acid in pregnancy or conception

20/8/2018

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Are you, or someone you know trying to get pregnant, or thinking of having children soon? Or have you been trying to get pregnant for a while and it's not being successful? Or have you had one or more miscarriages?

There are many possible factors which cause difficulties with getting pregnant or holding onto a pregnancy such as stress, nutrient deficiencies, toxins and chemical exposure, genetics, smoking and alcohol, inflammation and more.

These are two of the most common, but little known, causes of infertility:
1) Hormone imbalance in men and women, and
2) Genetic mutations in men and women.

These are the biggest causes of infertility I see in my clinic, but both are fairly easy to treat to get a successful result! Sadly, the medical approaches to infertility are very expensive, and they don't address the root causes of infertility. One very common and recommended medical "treatment" actually causes more heartache, distress, infertility and miscarriages. This is the advice that the woman trying to conceive should take a pregnancy multivitamin supplement which contains "folic acid".

Folic acid is not found in nature. It's not real. It's an artificially synthesized form of folate, or a fake and dangerous form of vitamin B9, which is found in plant foods. Folate comes from the word "foliage", hence leaves or leafy green vegetables, but also found in any plant-based food.

"Folic acid" is added to cheap retail brand supplements and pregnancy products, as well as to breads, and other refined grain products, cereals, processed foods, and packaged foods. It doesn't have the same effect in your body as the real folate!

But what is worse is that up to 40% of people may have a particular genetic mutation called MTHFR, which I have written about before here:
http://www.rosswalter.com.au/articles/folic-acid-vs-folate-are-they-the-same

When men and women with the MTHFR genetic mutation take supplements with folic acid in them, or eat lots of processed foods high in folic acid, they can develop toxicity from UMFA (un-metabolized folic acid) syndrome. Taking folic acid in supplements or foods when you have the MTHFR mutation causes ongoing infertility, and very sadly, recurrent miscarriages. But women trying to conceive and pregnant women are told to take supplements with folic acid! As per usual with many government or medical directives, this simply makes things worse.

A recent study (Servy et al., Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 2018) tested couples who had infertility issues for at least 4 years, where one or both partners had the MTHFR genetic mutation. Most had previously tried folic acid supplements, but they had a lot of poor results, including multiple miscarriages. The study instead supplemented the couples with a natural form of folate instead, for only 4 months.

No adverse effects were seen from this form of folate. But the results were amazing! 39% of the females conceived naturally, with most needed some additional treatment to achieve pregnancy, but only 6% didn't succeed. That's a 94% success rate after avoiding folic acid, but taking a natural folate supplement instead!

The study concluded that the natural folate supplement should be used for when one or both partners have the MTHFR mutation, and that the artificial folic acid must be avoided to prevent folic acid toxicity, immune dysfunction, and other adverse health effects such as cancer.

I highly recommend getting tested for MTHFR with a simple blood or saliva test, and taking a pregnancy supplement which does NOT have folic acid in it, but a natural form of folate instead. I can help with both the test and the natural folate supplement, along with investigating other possible causes of infertility.

If you are trying to conceive, or know someone who is, please share this article to them so they are informed and can have a successful outcome!


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Folic acid vs. folate - are they the same?

1/2/2018

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If you look at the ingredients list of many packaged food labels, such as breakfast cereals, wheat flour, all breads and bakery goods (except those produced and labelled as "organic"), yeast spreads (vegemite etc), fruit juice and other foods, and even multivitamin supplements, they contain "folic acid". This article will explain a little about what this misunderstood ingredient is and how it can affect your health.


"Folic acid" is an artificially synthesised form of folate or vitamin B9. Folate, however, is the natural form of this vitamin, found in "foliage" sources, ie plant foods, especially in green leafy vegetables, broccoli and similar vegetables, many fruits, legumes and lentils, avocado, nuts and seeds, ground vegetables like beets and carrots, and many other sources.

Folate is needed for DNA synthesis and cell growth, production of red blood cells, for good mental health, energy production and many other activities. A deficiency in folate can cause many health effects, including anaemia, mental health issues (depression), dental diseases, skin conditions, and more. One of the main deficiency conditions of concern is an increased risk of birth defects in a baby's brain and spine, such as spina bifida.
Sadly, the Australian Food Standards organisation (FSANZ) makes it mandatory that folic acid is added to all wheat cereals, flour and bakery goods, except "100% organic" products and breads made from other grains such as rye, rice and corn! At least FSANZ and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (corporate watchdog) admits that products containing folic acid cannot claim that the product is "natural", as folic acid is NOT a natural substance!

In an attempt to prevent spina bifida birth defects, FSANZ decided to add folic acid to common staple food products - breads and cereals - and thus try to increase the daily intake of artificial "folate" in pregnant women. Why not just do an advertising campaign to get people to eat more vegies instead?!
Folic acid is not the same as folate - it is metabolised differently in the body, and thus has different effects, and like all artificial medications (which is what it is), it also causes a lot of unintended side effects.

Folic acid is readily absorbed into the body, often more so than for natural folate. However the natural folate is much more bioavailable (ie usable), but folic acid can actually block the effects of the natural folate, and over time this can lead to deficiency conditions mentioned above.

People who may have the MTHFR gene mutation (see my other recent article on this topic), will have huge issues with any foods containing folic acid. The MTHFR enzyme is needed to activate folate and folic acid, but people with this genetic mutation cannot effectively metabolise folic acid, and so levels of this artificial vitamin will rise to toxicity and cause major health conditions such as increased inflammation, oxidative damage, heart disease, and mental health disorders. Very sadly, I see a lot of female clients with infertility issues or recurrent miscarriages while on folic acid supplements for fertility and pregnancy. Folic acid in a female with the MTHFR gene mutation will CAUSE the recurrent miscarriages. This heartbreaking situation can simply be prevented by 1) getting a MTHFR test, and 2) avoiding folic acid supplements and foods, and 3) eating more folate-rich vegetables instead.

The decision of the authorities to force an artificial vitamin (effectively a "drug") onto most people in attempt to prevent a simple nutrient deficiency seems insane - it doesn't fix the cause of the problem, and actually creates MORE health problems! Recent research suggests that folic acid in cereals and bread or bakery products should not only be avoided by people with the MTHFR mutation, but EVERYONE, because of the negative effects it can have. Simply eat more plant based foods instead to get your daily requirement of natural folate!

If you have noticed that you feel worse after eating cereals, bread products, or supplements with folic acid, or if you are female and have had multiple miscarriages, you may have the MTHFR gene mutation. A simple blood test can be ordered to check for this, as well as advice for improving your diet to getting enough natural folate for a healthy pregnancy!
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What is MTHFR?

19/1/2018

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What is MTHFR?! No, it isn't an acronym for something very rude, but for Methylene-TetraHydroFolate Reductase, which is a bit of a mouthful, so MTHFR is much easier!

MTHFR is a human gene, which codes for the production of an enzyme of the same name. The MTHFR enzyme is important for chemical reactions in the body involving vitamin B9 (also called "folate"). The enzyme converts the folate in your food (mainly in plant based foods) into the active form of folate which your body can then use.

Folate is important for many purposes - the synthesis of DNA and the production of new cells, for "methylation" reactions (such as turning on and off gene expression), for metabolising amino acids from proteins (for hormone and neurotransmitter production), for the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, to turn off inflammation, for energy production, for critical detoxification functions, and many more functions.

The MTHFR gene and enzyme are especially important because mutations of this gene can have significant impacts on your health. Depending on which mutation of this gene you may have, of which there are 34 different ones, there are 2 main variants which can be tested for, because of their importance in your body.

Depending on the type of MTHFR mutation you may have, it can mean a 20% loss of function, or 40% or even up to a 70% loss of function to the MTHFR enzyme activity. This means that all of the uses of folate can be severely compromised. One of the biggest impacts of a MTHFR mutation is regarding detoxification of chemicals from the body. If your body cannot detoxify environmental toxins efficiently, this can cause a lot of chronic physical and mental health issues.

"Folic Acid", which is an artificially synthesised form of folate found in many vitamin and mineral supplements, is not the same thing as the natural folate. It doesn't have the same effects at all. But most importantly, IF you have the a MTHFR genetic mutation, you MUST NOT be taking any supplement with folic acid in it. Because your body cannot metabolise folic acid properly, folate levels in your blood and body can build up and reach toxic levels, and also inhibit the metabolism of natural folate. Some studies and researchers have suggested that even people without any MTHFR mutation should still avoid all supplements with folic acid in them. There are other forms of folate in supplements which are safer and more effective!

MTHFR mutations are common in people who have heart disease, glaucoma, many psychiatric or mental health conditions, some types of cancers, high levels of inflammation, infertility and recurrent miscarriages, autism spectrum disorders, and many other chronic health issues which don't seem to go away no matter what you do for them. If you suspect you may have a MTHFR mutation due to chronic health issues, you can get tested for this.

Testing for the MTHFR mutation can easily be done with a simple blood test. This test costs just $90, but can be very useful in helping you to achieve your health goals! If you have (or someone you know has) health issues which don't seem to be improving, despite being on a good treatment plan, then a MTHFR genetic mutation can often be the cause of this. Testing for the mutation can give peace of mind and the effects of the mutation can be greatly reduced as there are additional steps in a treatment plan which you may need to include. Please contact me or the clinic to arrange a MTHFR test!

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