Folic Acid may Improve Asthma, Allergies

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, may help treat allergic reactions and allergy symptoms, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

Folate occurs naturally in food while folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Sources include cereals, baked goods, leafy vegetables, asparagus, fruits, legumes, yeast, mushrooms and organ meat (such as beef liver or kidneys).

Previous studies have noted a potential link between folate and inflammatory conditions such as heart disease.

In the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers reviewed medical data from in 8,083 patients ages 2-85 who participated in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). During the study, serum folate levels and total IgE levels were measured. IgE, or immunoglobulin E, is a class of antibodies that mediates allergic reactions. The authors also recorded asthma and respiratory symptoms.

Higher levels of folate were linked to lower IgE levels, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and a lower likelihood of developing asthma. People with the lowest folate levels (less than eight nanograms per milliliter of blood) had a 40 percent increased risk of wheezing, 30 percent increased risk of having elevated IgE levels, 31 percent increased risk of allergic symptoms and a 16 percent higher risk of asthma compared to those with the highest levels of folate (above 18 nanograms per milliliter of blood).

However, additional research is needed to confirm these early findings and to determine exactly how folate may work. The researchers plan to compare the effects of folic acid to placebo in people with allergies and asthma.

For more information about asthma and allergies, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Comments

[kacey]

This is interesting and good news, given how the incidence of allergy and asthma seems to be skyrocketing. Maybe then, there's a link between how awful most Americans' diets are and the rise of these health problems in our children? It's no surprise that children's diets are laden with fat and sugar and lack the whole grains and leafy vegetables that are key for a healthy diet --- and are also packed with folic acid. Given that the researchers saw fairly impressive turn-around in symptoms, this may be another angle to take to convince both parents and children of how important healthy foods are.

[Edgar Allensby]

Given the fact that Americans seem to suffer from more asthma and allergic conditions could coincide with our unfortunate eating habits as previously stated. IgE runs rampant in many inflammatory conditions and is the target of a new monoclonal antibody biologic omalizumab. If folic acid is found to be effective at reducing IgE, it will be interesting to see how quickly it takes pharmaceutical manufacturers to market some special formulation like Niaspan for this B-vitamin superstar. I find it ridiculous the amount that is spent in developing these technological wonders of modern chemistry when a couple million dollars spent researching a vitamin or mineral could be just as important, if not more.

[Nick M]

This research with folic acid looks promising, but do not forget we have no idea if any of the information presented in this study has any statistical significance. The rigorous standards we set for research to avoid bias or skewing of results are quickly forgotten when promising results like these appear. Asthma and allergies affect so many people that I think it would be great if the researchers in this study were able to get enough funding to carry out a better study investigating the effects of folic acid on these conditions.

[Edward B]

What doses of folic acid were patients taking? And I wonder if most patients were also on prescription medications — asthma isn’t a disease state you can leave untreated! I wonder if there was a standardized asthma action plan used in the study and if patients had better compliance with their asthma meds, leading to their improvements? I mean, patients entered into this kind of study probably want to get better control over their asthma, so they’re going to be more likely to cooperate with what researchers tell them, right?

[Kara]

There are so many irritants that contribute to our respiratory issues -- carpeting, pollen-producing plants that are transplanted to non-native areas and all the artificial scents we use in our homes (candles, plug-in devices, sprays).

Edgar, while I agree that some enterprising pharmaceutical company will likely develop a formulation of folic acid for respiratory ailments, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could spend some time educating people who have asthma to change their dietary habits to include vegetables and grains high in B9?

[Mart Inis]

I agree with Edward B, I wonder if the participants in this study were on any prescription asthma medications, and it would seem unethical and risky to deprive patients of their rescue inhalers for any period of time. There are lots of contributing factors to the development of asthma and allergies, starting with childbirth (researchers have linked children born via C-sections with increased asthma prevalence) and environmental risk factors (such as common household chemicals). Folic acid sounds promising, but so would changing a number of other proven risk factors like these. Who is to say what is more causative?

[Edward B]

Excellent points, Mart! Treatment with folic acid appears to be treating the problem once it has already occurred. Why don’t we try to decrease/diminish risk factors before something is capable of becoming a problem? Included in this could be eliminating the things that Kara mentioned— candles, plug-in devices and sprays.

[Harper]

Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin. Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B, which is derived from folate and occurs naturally in foods. Daily foods rich in folic acid include orange juice, tomato juice, leafy vegetables, baked foods, fruits (like bananas, melons, lemons) and vegetables (like okra, asparagus, etc.). The role of folic acid in asthma and allergies improvement is not real evident. More studies will be needed before any more substantial evidence-based recommendations can be made.

[Jeff]

If there was a natural way (via consumption of folic acid sources) to avoid allergies, I would really want to know more about it, seeing that I am an allergy sufferer and have several people in my family who suffer from asthma. It is not always exposure to substances that contribute to the development of these conditions. Sometimes, it is the lack of exposure to materials when we are younger that triggers a larger response as we get older. Nowadays, people are too protective and prefer to avoid germs and microorganisms at all costs. However, exposure to these microbes may be what we need to develop our immune system early on and avoid this exaggerated response we are seeing more and more today.