Folate and Mental Health

Five day old organic broccoli sprouts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Further to Psychiatric Drugs and Nutrient Depletion – Folic Acid was indicated as one of the nutrients being depleted by some drugs.

Folate is suspected to be low in general, due to inadequate dietary intake (sprouts, brewer’s yeast, liver, kidney) and is further diminished by cooking and processing of foods. It is also poorly absorbed by our bodies via food intake and has to go through intricate changes via the liver and intestine to reach its active form methylfolate.

If the conversion process is broken, due to poor intake, malabsorption, liver disease or pregnancy, low levels of active folate soon affect the brain. According to new research dementia, insomnia, irritability, forgetfulness, depression and possibly schizophrenia (all classed as neuropsychiatric symptoms) can result. In effect psychiatric drugs may contribute to the symptomatology they are meant to cure.

The link to pregnancy (mother has to share nutrients with foetus) is particularly interesting, as more and more women are being diagnosed with post natal depression. Oral supplementation once psychiatric symptomatology is established may not be very effective in rendering immediate results. Recovery therefore may be even more diminished if certain drugs are given to treat the symptoms. A tendency to neglect diet is also part of the symptoms given for mood and psychotic disorders, hence a difficult cycle is soon established driving the inability to recover and leaving the patient without hope.

Ideally when engaged with preventative medicine (naturopathy, herbal medicine, etc) diet is a basic treatment strategy however, preventative medicine is not at the forefront of western healthcare. This is further impeded by not being able to receive a health rebate when consulting a naturopath, in that way many people miss out on the education and treatment options on offer. Products which could help recuperation from folate deficiency and associated symptoms are ‘practitioner only’ and rightfully not available in Health food shops.

Possibilities to address folate deficiency are available – by using a different form of folate (folinic acid).

Research has indicated that, folinic acid aids patients significantly in recovery (please see studies below) – how is this achieved?

Folinic acid regenerates SAMe (a brain chemical), this in turn has a beneficial effect on serotonin, with the outcome that it increases the overall feeling of well being and improves mood. Even better, it does so without side effects.

As a closing comment I would like to highlight that this is not new knowledge, as you will see by the dates on the publications. My question is why is this knowledge not implemented in Psychiatry and why are the practitioners implementing such knowledge called quacks by the medical system?

 

 

Godfrey PS, Toone BK, Carney MW, et al. Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methylfolate. Lancet 1990; 336:392-395.

Froscher W, Maier V, Laage M, Wolfersdorf M, Straub R, Rothmeier J, Steinert T, Fiaux U, Grupp D. Folate deficiency, anticonvulsant drugs and psychiatric morbidity. Clin Neuropharmacol 1995 April; 18(2):165-82.

Wesson VA, Levitt AJ, Joffe RT. Change in folate status with antidepressant treatment. Psychiatry Res 1994;53:313-322.

Folates: Supplemental Forms and Therapeutic Applications by Gregory S Kelly N.D.

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