Jejunal pH and folic acid.

Folate Deficiency in Humans

“…Although Benn et al (1971) attributed this phenomenon to elevated intestinal pH observed in patients on long-term Dilantin therapy, this elevation was not observed after administering the drug orally to normal subjects (Doe et al, 1971) and could not have affected the studies of Gerson et al (1972), because the perfusion containing 2 mg% Dilantin used in that study wal' no more alkaline than that without Dilantin (pH 6.5-6.9). The structural similarities among various anticonvulsants, including Dilantin, and folates (Girdwood, 1960;Herbert and Zalusky, 1962;Spector, 1972) support the view that these drugs impair folate absorption by a structure-specific mechanism.…”

Effects of Antiepileptics on Nutritional Status

“…With an in crease of pH 0.1, there was a 12% decrease in folate absorption ( 35 ). There were several studies that indicated no change in the intraluminal pH when phenytoin was taken by both healthy volunteers and patients with epilepsy (36,37). However, there was a significant decrease in absorption of folie acid that could not be explained by the pH theory (21 ).…”