The FDA suspended manufacture of leucovorin (folinic acid) due to quality issues in early March and since then, I've been off it and doing rather poorly. Supposedly production has resumed, but I've only been able to get one bottle. It's lasted about a week. Since folinic acid has become key in a number of chemotherapies, its availability may remain limited for a while.
Now that I'm back on it, it's like somebody turned on the vitamin D spigot again. The results have been so dramatic it prompted me to dig deeper. It turns out regulatory T-cells have folic acid receptors [PMID 17613255] and certain autoimmune patients and low-functioning autistics [PMID 18461502] generate autoantibodies against folic acid receptors - quite possibly as the aftereffect of clearing out a viral infection or a cancer that trained B-cells to target the receptor.
If these folic acid receptor antibodies are numerous enough, they can block entry of folic acid into the central nervous system. The receptor is necessary for folic acid to cross the blood-brain barrier. A patient with normal serum folic acid levels might actually be deficient in the CNS which would only show up in a tap - a procedure doctors rarely perform.
It also turns out that low folic acid levels lead to higher vitamin D3 catabolism [PMID 19450178] so if the CNS is deficient in folic acid, vitamin D3 isn't going to function properly - leading to a drop in redox capacity (e.g., low glutathione)/metals detoxification/neurogenesis, loss of antiviral functions/cathelicidin, increased cancer risk and probably autoimmune issues as well. But it's going to be invisible to anybody checking strict serum levels. It makes me wonder if certain vital infections don't deliberately stir up anti-folic acid receptor antibodies to block the antiviral effects of vitamin D3 within the nervous system itself.
The upside, though, is that supplementing with folinic acid shots or a high dose oral folic acid seems to restore CNS levels [PMID 19260931]. Folic acid per se may stimulate Tregs even if patients don't have a deficiency (which probably accounts for why tumors use folic acid and are vulnerable to these antibodies). This may mean folic acid is a good general treatment for autoimmune disorders.
Serum folic acid in general can be affected by autoimmune diseases. In Celiac disease, the levels of transglutaminase antibodies seem inversely correlated to serum folic acid levels [PMID 15861017, 17190764]. Given how a serum drop would affect body-wide vitamin D3 levels and the chemopreventative role of D3, this may be one reason bowel cancer risk goes up in some of these autoimmune diseases. Since estrogen helps stimulate expression of the VDR, this may be a set of factors explaining why bowel cancer is more common in men [PMID 19450178].
These folate receptor antibodies may be a cause of subfertility risk in women [PMID 18950755]. They have been associated with high milk consumption [PMID 19282368] and a milk-free diet can help reduce the autoantibodies [PMID 18355335]. Given the role opioids play regulating antibody production in B-cells [PMID 18387505], I have to wonder if this cross-reaction to folate receptors caused by consuming cow's milk might stem from the molecular similarities between the casein in milk and opioids.
Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
> The FDA suspended manufacture of leucovorin (folinic acid) due to > quality issues in early March and since then, I've been off it and doing > rather poorly. Supposedly production has resumed, but I've only been > able to get one bottle. It's lasted about a week. Since folinic acid > has become key in a number of chemotherapies, its availability may > remain limited for a while.
> Now that I'm back on it, it's like somebody turned on the vitamin D > spigot again. The results have been so dramatic it prompted me to dig > deeper. It turns out regulatory T-cells have folic acid receptors [PMID > 17613255] and certain autoimmune patients and low-functioning autistics > [PMID 18461502] generate autoantibodies against folic acid receptors - > quite possibly as the aftereffect of clearing out a viral infection or a > cancer that trained B-cells to target the receptor.
> If these folic acid receptor antibodies are numerous enough, they can > block entry of folic acid into the central nervous system. The receptor > is necessary for folic acid to cross the blood-brain barrier. A patient > with normal serum folic acid levels might actually be deficient in the > CNS which would only show up in a tap - a procedure doctors rarely > perform.
> It also turns out that low folic acid levels lead to higher vitamin D3 > catabolism [PMID 19450178] so if the CNS is deficient in folic acid, > vitamin D3 isn't going to function properly - leading to a drop in redox > capacity (e.g., low glutathione)/metals detoxification/neurogenesis, > loss of antiviral functions/cathelicidin, increased cancer risk and > probably autoimmune issues as well. But it's going to be invisible to > anybody checking strict serum levels. It makes me wonder if certain > vital infections don't deliberately stir up anti-folic acid receptor > antibodies to block the antiviral effects of vitamin D3 within the > nervous system itself.
> The upside, though, is that supplementing with folinic acid shots or a > high dose oral folic acid seems to restore CNS levels [PMID 19260931]. > Folic acid per se may stimulate Tregs even if patients don't have a > deficiency (which probably accounts for why tumors use folic acid and > are vulnerable to these antibodies). This may mean folic acid is a good > general treatment for autoimmune disorders.
> Serum folic acid in general can be affected by autoimmune diseases. In > Celiac disease, the levels of transglutaminase antibodies seem inversely > correlated to serum folic acid levels [PMID 15861017, 17190764]. Given > how a serum drop would affect body-wide vitamin D3 levels and the > chemopreventative role of D3, this may be one reason bowel cancer risk > goes up in some of these autoimmune diseases. Since estrogen helps > stimulate expression of the VDR, this may be a set of factors explaining > why bowel cancer is more common in men [PMID 19450178].
> These folate receptor antibodies may be a cause of subfertility risk in > women [PMID 18950755]. They have been associated with high milk > consumption [PMID 19282368] and a milk-free diet can help reduce the > autoantibodies [PMID 18355335]. Given the role opioids play regulating > antibody production in B-cells [PMID 18387505], I have to wonder if this > cross-reaction to folate receptors caused by consuming cow's milk might > stem from the molecular similarities between the casein in milk and > opioids.
> Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does > anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate > supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
It'll be very hard to find a supplement with more than 1 mg.
Kofi wrote: > The FDA suspended manufacture of leucovorin (folinic acid) due to > quality issues in early March and since then, I've been off it and doing > rather poorly. Supposedly production has resumed, but I've only been > able to get one bottle. It's lasted about a week. Since folinic acid > has become key in a number of chemotherapies, its availability may > remain limited for a while.
> Now that I'm back on it, it's like somebody turned on the vitamin D > spigot again. The results have been so dramatic it prompted me to dig > deeper. It turns out regulatory T-cells have folic acid receptors [PMID > 17613255] and certain autoimmune patients and low-functioning autistics > [PMID 18461502] generate autoantibodies against folic acid receptors - > quite possibly as the aftereffect of clearing out a viral infection or a > cancer that trained B-cells to target the receptor.
> If these folic acid receptor antibodies are numerous enough, they can > block entry of folic acid into the central nervous system. The receptor > is necessary for folic acid to cross the blood-brain barrier. A patient > with normal serum folic acid levels might actually be deficient in the > CNS which would only show up in a tap - a procedure doctors rarely > perform.
> It also turns out that low folic acid levels lead to higher vitamin D3 > catabolism [PMID 19450178] so if the CNS is deficient in folic acid, > vitamin D3 isn't going to function properly - leading to a drop in redox > capacity (e.g., low glutathione)/metals detoxification/neurogenesis, > loss of antiviral functions/cathelicidin, increased cancer risk and > probably autoimmune issues as well. But it's going to be invisible to > anybody checking strict serum levels. It makes me wonder if certain > vital infections don't deliberately stir up anti-folic acid receptor > antibodies to block the antiviral effects of vitamin D3 within the > nervous system itself.
> The upside, though, is that supplementing with folinic acid shots or a > high dose oral folic acid seems to restore CNS levels [PMID 19260931]. > Folic acid per se may stimulate Tregs even if patients don't have a > deficiency (which probably accounts for why tumors use folic acid and > are vulnerable to these antibodies). This may mean folic acid is a good > general treatment for autoimmune disorders.
> Serum folic acid in general can be affected by autoimmune diseases. In > Celiac disease, the levels of transglutaminase antibodies seem inversely > correlated to serum folic acid levels [PMID 15861017, 17190764]. Given > how a serum drop would affect body-wide vitamin D3 levels and the > chemopreventative role of D3, this may be one reason bowel cancer risk > goes up in some of these autoimmune diseases. Since estrogen helps > stimulate expression of the VDR, this may be a set of factors explaining > why bowel cancer is more common in men [PMID 19450178].
> These folate receptor antibodies may be a cause of subfertility risk in > women [PMID 18950755]. They have been associated with high milk > consumption [PMID 19282368] and a milk-free diet can help reduce the > autoantibodies [PMID 18355335]. Given the role opioids play regulating > antibody production in B-cells [PMID 18387505], I have to wonder if this > cross-reaction to folate receptors caused by consuming cow's milk might > stem from the molecular similarities between the casein in milk and > opioids.
> Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does > anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate > supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
A scale scale is needed to measure this out. The product is mixed with TMG (10% folic acid, 90% TMG) so a dose of 100 mg will give you 10 mg of folic acid. You get 3 grams of folic acid for only $4 USD or 300 doses at the 10 mg/daily you're interested in.
Also, look up l-methylfolate. There are prescription combinations that have this ingredient. It used to be over the counter since it is found naturally but somehow someone got a use patient or thereabouts and pulled the stuff a couple of years ago.
On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:54:16 -0600, Kofi <k...@anon.un> wrote: >Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does >anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate >supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
> Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does > anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate > supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
At that dose of folinic acid, do you have a correspondingly high dose of B12? May I ask what form and how much? Thanks.
In article <8b64e0ff-f118-4131-b792-af3996e08...@j18g2000yql.googlegroups.com>,
redplusbluemakespur...@gmail.com wrote: > On Jun 1, 2:54 am, Kofi <k...@anon.un> wrote: > > Given that my folinic acid supply will be sporadic for a while, does > > anybody know where I can find an inexpensive, high dose folate > > supplement - somewhere on the order of 10mg a day?
> At that dose of folinic acid, do you have a correspondingly high dose > of B12? May I ask what form and how much? Thanks.
> StephenB
My folinic acid is trickling into my compounding pharmacist now. Thanks for all the suggestions.
leucovorin/folinic acid/5-formyl tetrahydrofolate; 50mg vials reconstituted every three days in 2ml bacteriostatic water; one shot per day of about 16.7mg in 0.6ml
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