Low folate and acne; what’s the link?
"Nutritional anemia in reproductive age women with postadolescent acne"
Balta et al., 2012
This study found that serum folate levels were decreased significantly in post adolescent acne patients....I also feel that if they had been assessing active B12, as opposed to total B12, they might have also seen a link there too!
I see low folate and low end B12 levels in the majority of my female acne patients. Find out what other themes I see in my clients blood test results here.
WHY?
Well one thing worth mentioning is assessing folate levels accurately is hard as low serum levels doesn't necessarily mean deficiency, as your tissues might have enough......but we can't ignore that in this study the control group were not found to be low in folate.
Folate is a B vitamin and found mainly in dark green leafy vegetables. I could argue that some clients aren't eating enough of these, but I also see absorption issues in many of my acne clients.
We know about the gut-skin link and changes in the microbiome contributing to acne. Our microbiome actually makes some B vitamins including folate, so again....is your low folate a gut issue?
Another area I see causing folate and B12 issues for my clients is a process called methylation, and although this annoyingly isn't something I can confirm in the literature, methylation is something that I see all of my clients who decide to invest in DNA testing needing support with in order to heal their skin and balance their hormones.
Methylation is a vital metabolic process that happens in every cell and every organ of our body. Methylation is essential for the optimal function of almost all of your body systems occurring billions of times every second in our cells and contributing to numerous essential bodily functions, including: detoxification, immune function, DNA integrity, regulation of gene expression, energy production, neurotransmitter balance, inflammation control and telomere protection.
…….Body systems that are all involved in the formation of acne!
So takeaway is…
If you are suffering from acne, check your folate levels as these might be low
Low folate can impact methylation
Methylation plays a key role in many of the body systems involved in acne
Ready to find out more about your folate and methylation status? Book your Clarity Call to get started.
