Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that B vitamin supplementation is associated with slowing of cognitive decline, especially in populations who received early intervention and intervention of long duration; the study also indicates that higher intake of dietary folate, but not B12 or B6, is associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia in non-dementia aged population. Given the prevalence of dementia cases in many countries with aging populations, public health policies should be introduced to ensure that subgroups of the population at risk have an adequate B vitamin status.
Folate side effects
Across 286 first-hand reports, people mentioned a side effect 14 times (about 5 per 100 reports). The most common: insomnia, canker sores, jitteriness. User reports show what people notice — they can't tell you whether Folate is safe for you.
Reported side effects
insomnia3
canker sores2
jitteriness2
panic attacks2
irritability2
high serum1
drowsiness1
weakness1
What got worse for some people
In their own words
“I tried so many things for depression like saffron rhodiola tyrosine omega 3 methylfolate B12 taurine theanine NAC inositol b complex magnesium nothing helps it.”
“MethylPro L-Methylfolate 15mg + Cofactors (B6, B12, magnesium). I felt completely cracked out on this. Really jittery, and couldn't sleep.”
“I felt hardly anything from Thorne's '5-MTHF' (L-5) or loading up on folate in general.”
“I couldn't take any amount of methyl-B12 or Methylfolate without feeling like absolute crap.”
“I completely stopped everything and tried taking B9 (folate) for about 2 weeks, but I didn’t notice any improvement.”
“every time I take folate supplements, methylfolate or any form, I feel really depressed, more anxious, and have racing mind/thoughts.”
Is Folate safe? What the research covers
AResearch: Strong744 meta-analyses · 1,173 randomized trials on PubMed
Nutr Rev · 2022
B vitamins and prevention of cognitive decline and incident dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysisCrit Rev Food Sci Nutr · 2024
Health aspects of vegan diets among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysesConclusion: The certainty of evidence for the meta-analyses was low (n = 2) or very low (n = 46). Overall, the available evidence points to both risks and benefits associated with a vegan diet among children, although more and better designed studies are needed.