Folic Acid May Help Treat Allergies, Asthma

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

In what is believed to be the first study in humans examining the link between blood levels of folate -- the naturally occurring form of folic acid -- and allergies, the scientists say results add to mounting evidence that folate can help regulate inflammation. Recent studies, including research from Johns Hopkins, have found a link between folate levels and inflammation-mediated diseases, including heart disease. A report on the Johns Hopkins Children's findings appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

Cautioning that it's far too soon to recommend folic acid supplements to prevent or treat people with asthma and allergies, the researchers emphasize that more research needs to be done to confirm their results, and to establish safe doses and risks.

Reviewing the medical records of more than 8,000 people ages 2 to 85 the investigators tracked the effect of folate levels on respiratory and allergic symptoms and on levels of IgE antibodies, immune system markers that rise in response to an allergen. People with higher blood levels of folate had fewer IgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and lower likelihood of asthma, researchers report.

"Our findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms," says lead investigator Elizabeth Matsui, M.D., M.H.S., pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins Children's. "But we still need to figure out the exact mechanism behind it, and to do so we need studies that follow people receiving treatment with folic acid, before we even consider supplementation with folic acid to treat or prevent allergies and asthma."

The current recommendation for daily dietary intake of folic acid is 400 micrograms for healthy men and non-pregnant women. Many cereals and grain products are already fortified with folate, and folate is found naturally in green, leafy vegetables, beans and nuts.

Other findings of the study:

People with the lowest folate levels (below 8 nanograms per milliliter) had 40 percent higher risk of wheezing than people with the highest folate levels (above 18 ng/ml).
People with the lowest folate levels had a 30 percent higher risk than those with the highest folate levels of having elevated IgE antibodies, markers of allergy predisposition.
Those with the lowest folate levels had 31 percent higher risk of atopy (allergic symptoms) than people with the highest folate levels.
Those with lowest folate levels had 16 percent higher risk of having asthma than people with the highest folate levels.
Blacks and Hispanics had lower blood folate levels - 12 and 12.5 nanograms per milliliter, respectively - than whites (15 ng/ml), but the differences were not due to income and socio-economic status.

The Johns Hopkins team is planning a study comparing the effects of folic acid and placebo in people with allergies and asthma.

Asthma affects more than 7 percent of adults and children in the United States, and is the most common chronic condition among children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental allergies are estimated to affect 25 million Americans, according to the CDC.

Co-investigator on the study: William Matsui, M.D, of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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Georgia State Researcher Investigates Link Between Folic Acid and Heart Health, Anemia

A Georgia State University researcher and his colleague are investigating the effects of a decade-long requirement to fortify all cereals in the United States with folic acid, and its link with a chemical believed to play a role in cardiovascular disease.

Vijay Ganji, associate professor of nutrition in Georgia State’s College of Health and Human Sciences, and Mohammad R. Kafai, of San Francisco State University, investigated multiple factors involved in the levels of the nutrient folic acid and homocysteine — for which studies suggest a link to increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

The report is one of the first examining factors such as gender, race, blood pressure, and levels of certain chemicals in the blood during the post-fortification period. Ganji and Kafai examined the data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004.

Since 1998, all processed cereals in the United States have been fortified with folic acid in an effort to help prevent neural tube defects — a type of birth defect that can lead to neurological diseases such as spina bifida, a defect resulting in an incomplete spinal cord.

Folic acid fortification has reduced the risk of neural tube defects by up to 20 percent in the United States, and by higher levels in Canada, which started fortification at about at the same time, Ganji explained.

But an unintended effect of fortification is the reduction of homocysteine — a chemical which studies suggest increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased cognitive function and bone mineral density. Fortification has helped reduce homocysteine levels in the population.
Not everyone needs high levels of folic acid. The intended target for fortification is women who are pregnant or are of child-bearing age, and not necessarily men, children or the elderly.

In the study, Ganji and Kafai found an association between homocysteine levels and serum methylmalonic acid, or MMA — which can indicate vitamin B12 deficiency, a factor in certain types of anemia.

“MMA and vitamin B12 are both coming out to be a strong predictor of homocysteine,” Ganji said. “What might be happening is the worsening of B12 deficiency symptoms.”

The paradox is that folic acid fortification has had the unintended effect of reducing the risk for anemia. It is possible that certain B12 deficiency symptoms may be masked.

“When you give folic acid to someone with B12 deficiency, the anemia coming from the lack of B12 might be cured and patient does not feel tired due to lack of anemia, hence less likely to see the physician, but the neurological symptoms of the deficiency may be worsened,” Ganji explained.

Still, the enormous benefits of folic acid fortification cannot be discounted.

“It has been positive so far, and has resulted in significant reductions in neural tube defects, as well as homocysteine,” Ganji said. "We must have an ongoing public policy evaluation, though, to see if there are any trends or changes among the population.

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Harvard Study Shows Folic Acid, B Vitamins in Animi-3(R) May Prevent Vision Loss

/PRNewswire/ -- A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School has found that combining essential B vitamins, including B6, B12, and folic acid, lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans. These ingredients, which are formulated in combination with key omega-3 fatty acids and phytosterols, are also contained in the prescription supplement Animi-3, which is actively being prescribed by physicians to address deficiencies in these nutrients.

In the randomized, double-blind clinical trial, more than 5,000 women with heart disease, and at least three risk factors for cardiovascular disease, were given vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid over a seven-year time period. At the end of the trial, approximately 34 percent of the women had a lower risk of developing any type of AMD, while 41 percent had a lower risk of more severe forms of AMD.

"What's interesting here is the study authors note the correlation between age-related macular degeneration and cardiovascular disease," said nutritional expert Dr. Barbara Levine, Weill Cornell Medical College. "I recommend patients with nutritional deficiencies speak to their physicians about Animi-3, which is formulated with these essential B vitamins and DHA, the most important omega-3 fat, to address various conditions, including heart disease, arthritis, eye health, and depression."

"DHA is highly concentrated in the retina of the eye, which is one of the reasons why a DHA deficiency may be important to vision," added President Jack Schramm, PBM Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the makers of Animi-3. "Animi-3 delivers DHA as well as B6, B12, and folic acid. Studies continue to suggest that DHA, along with a combination of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, can address deficiencies in these nutrients associated with eye problems, including dry eye and macular health."

Each capsule of Animi-3 contains 500 mg of omega-3, (350 mg of DHA), 200 mg of phytosterols, 1 mg of folic acid, 12.5 mg of B6, and 12 mcg of B12.

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