5-HTP vs Folate for mood
Short answer: For mood, users rate them about the same: 84% report improvement with 5-HTP (214 reports) and 87% with Folate (52 reports).
5-HTP has 15 meta-analyses and 73 randomized trials on PubMed; Folate has 744 and 1,173.
Based on 767 reports about 5-HTP and 286 about Folate. Not medical advice.
| 5-HTP Supplement | Folate Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 40%helped345 reports · high confidence | 63%helped109 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 15 / 73 | 744 / 1,173 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 84% (214) | 87% (52) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 85% (102) | 57% (7) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 72% (71) | 71% (21) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 76% (17) | 91% (23) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 73% (11) | 100% (15) |
| Common side effects | vivid dreams, heart valve, serotonin syndrome, drowsiness | insomnia, canker sores, jitteriness, panic attacks |
| Typical dose reported | 100 mg / with coffee | 400 mcg / with breakfast |
There are few, large, high-quality trials comparing combination pharmacotherapy with monotherapy for fibromyalgia, consequently limiting evidence to support or refute the use of combination pharmacotherapy for fibromyalgia.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018 ↗“I just one day randomly decided to take 5-HTP an hour after finishing my workout, and I felt WIRED 15 minutes after taking it, and that lasted for 5–6 hours.”
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.
Nutr Rev, 2022 ↗“I have been taking methylfolate with methylcobalamin for almost two months now and my prefrontal abilities with respect to planning and stress management have improved dramatically.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate