Originally Posted by mrsD

There is a thread where I bring this new problem up...and a doctor came on with additional information:

t is long, but I think worth reading carefully.

Until about a year or so ago, the common thought was folate was good for everyone. Then young women started using high dose folate for preventing spina bifida in their babies. Then, some new data emerged that some of these high dose patients were showing up with colon cancer at a young age.

According to the doctor who comes on that Metanx thread, it is the "unactivated" folate that may be to blame. But still the research is not firm on that.

I stopped recommending high dose folate over a year ago, because the subject remains murky.

Folate has been pushed and even added to US foods, in the hopes of reducing heart disease/stroke which may be caused by elevated homocysteine levels.

I would keep your total folate consumption down to 800mcg a day, until this data clarifies.

Methylfolate is available now thru Solgar at 400 and 800mcg doses. It was off the market for a while, because Merck, who holds the patent for making it, wanted to control it and make more $$ off the RX versions. But it now has returned to OTC status. So if anyone is really concerned, using it instead of folic acid regular type, may be a better intervention. But there are no guarantees yet.