Probiotics And Folic Acid - Is It Okay?

by Ava
(Chicago)

Q. Is it safe to take the folic acid and probiotics everyday for the rest of my life or is there a time that I should take it for and then stop?



A. Probiotics are a natural part of the human diet and so are completely safe to take forever. We used to eat a diet much richer in these good bacteria and it is only in recent years that many people do not appear to be getting enough of them.

If you eat a diet rich in them you may get all you need from your food. Foods such as yogurt, aged cheeses, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and even some traditionally fermented sausages are all rich in lactic acid bacteria and it from them that most of the probiotics come. Simply eating plenty of unprocessed fruits and vegetables will increase the amount you eat.

And if you can't get enough from your food (which can be a problem for some)then a good supplement will fill the gap.

I'm not an expert on folic acid but I would suspect that there is no reason why you couldn't take that forever too.

There is plenty of research that suggests that both probiotics AND folic acid can help prevent cancer. As 30 to 40% of cancers are caused through diet and lifestyle factors this does not seem surprising.

Some Bifidobacteria can actually help the body to product more folate - in particular Bifidobacterium adolescentis MB 227 (DSMZ 18352), B adolescentis MB 239 (DSMZ 18350), and B pseudocatenulatum MB 116 (DSMZ 18350)- so that by chosing an probiotic supplement that is strong in Bifidobacterium you could well be enhancing that result.

The strains named above have been patented so it is reasonable to assume that they will become available commercially.

In the mean time, a probiotic supplement that contains a good array of the Bifidobacteria strains is your best bet.

Folate is found in yeast, organ meat and leafy green vegetables. As probiotics are also found in and on leafy green vegetables, it does make these a very good source of getting all your good things at once.

We all know we're supposed to be eating more greens and the science certainly supports that idea.