Folic Acid is Poison to Many Patients

Is Folic Acid Poison

One in three Americans has a genetic variation that impairs their ability to properly utilize folic acid. The recent availability at PharmaCare Compounding Pharmacy of the metabolically active form of folic acid in supplemental form has the potential to improve your health.  https://pharmacarerx.com/megagenics/licorice-plus/

Why is Folic Acid Important?

Folic acid’s importance to human health has to do in part with its role in a biochemical process called methylation. Methylation refers to the transfer of methyl groups (one carbon bound to three hydrogen atoms). Methylation occurs billions of times in the body each day. The important thing here is that methylation is essential for health.

What is the Active Form of Folic Acid?

L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF) is the metabolically active form of folic acid. The folic acid found in food has to be cleaved (digested) from protein carriers in order to be absorbed. This process is inefficient in a lot of individuals. Once absorbed, dietary (and supplemental) folic acid has to then undergo several biochemical conversions in the body to become L-5-MTHF. Roughly one in three Americans have genetically inefficient enzymes that help create L-5-MTHF.  The MTHFR gene plays a role in processing amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. 5-MTHF is also used to create and process neurotransmitters (messengers in the nervous system like serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine).  Deficience in any of these neurotransmittes can cause anxiety, drepression, irritability, etc.  L-5 MTHF also helps create immune cells (very important this flu season) and process hormones (such as estrogen).  Since we have a large BHRT practice here at PharmaCare Compounding Pharmacy, processing estrogens is a big concern for us.  If you are not processing estrogen to the correct metabolites, you are putting yourselt at an increased risk for breast, uterine and ovarian cancer!  L-5MTHF is also involved in the production of energy and the detoxification of chemicals.

What are Symptoms of a Mutation?

Symptoms of MTHFR gene mutations can include: fatigue, irritability, lack of energy, brain fog, anxiety, sleep issues, and/or aches and pains.  You can see why this is often mistaken for depression or fibromyalgia and treated with birth control pills, Cymbalta, Prozac, Xanac, etc.  You do not have a Prozac deficiency!  I challange anyone to show me a lab value that a physician can look at and say, “Yup, you are 5mg of Prozac low.”

By supplementing with L-5-MTHF, one can be assured of getting the benefits of folic acid, regardless of their ability to absorb or convert it to the active form. If you are an individual with impaired ability to utilize regular folic acid, L-5-MTHF supplementation can make a truly dramatic difference in your health.