Many parents are looking for the right multi-vitamin for their child. There are drawbacks to using a multi-vitamin. Most do not have high enough dosages to make a difference in a deficient child. Many have the wrong form of vitamin, meaning that it is not bio-available. And, some children do not seem to tolerate multi-vitamins well. Some children, in particular, have trouble tolerating B-vitamins. While many choose to dose their child’s supplements separately, I have compiled a list of mulit-vitamins which do not contain folic acid, below.
Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate, and not easily broken down by those with an MTHFR mutation. Doctors are finding that a large percentage of autistic children have an MTHFR genetic mutation. The MTHFR gene is important for utilizing folate and turning it into Glutathione, which is one of the body’s chief antioxidants. Because it is used in many processes in the body, a glutathione deficiency can negatively impact every system in the body. Most importantly, if the body does not make enough, it can not detoxify the many chemicals that we come into contact with every day. Those with an MTHFR mutation cannot utilize the synthetic folic acid found in vitamins or fortified in breads, pastas, cereals etc. In fact, folic acid can be dangerous as it blocks the receptor sites from utilizing the true form of folate. An MTHFR mutation can result in many conditions, such as high cholesterol, stroke, bi-polar disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, MS, asthma, frequent miscarriages and much more. The mutation is most often treated with the active form of folate (methylfolate), B-vitamins, and the avoidance of synthetic folic acid
The vitamins that I have listed below contain the active form of folate (Vitamin B9) also known as 5-HTMF or L-methylfolate.
Klaire Labs Vita Spectrum – Powder; Most popular
Sunwarrior Vitamin Mineral Rush – Plant based, liquid multi-vitamin. This is the one we currently use.
Dr. Fuhrman’s Pixie Vites – Powder. Reviews have said that this tastes bad
AGAPE – Liquid multivitamin. Expensive, but use promo code DRMIKE for 10% off
Smarty Pants – Gummy
Thorne Children’s Basic Nutrients – Capsule
Seeking Health Optimal Multivitamin Chewable – Popular chewable
PURE Encapsulations Junior Nutrients – Capsule
Everything Spectrum Multi – Powder or capsule
Garden of Life Vitamin Code – Chewable
GI Pro Health – ProChild – Powder or capsule
Autism Coach Bioactive Vitamin-Mineral Supplement – Powder or capsule
ANRC Essentials – Capsule or powder form
Brainchild Nutritionals – Liquid vitamins formulated for ASD that **contain folic acid**
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Aperture is one of the best and up to date with recent research – cost $65 for the capsules and $67 for the powder. you can buy online at apertureinternational.com and it shows the ingredients
Thank you great site !!!
I tried a few of these and found Agape to be the only liquid my child could tolerate.
Thanks for the coupon !!!
The powders did not break down well and had a gritty aftertaste.
Agape made such an impact in my child’s recovery that his teachers noticed commented on the improvement. Now if we could only find a fish oil he can tolerate ?
Hi Beverley, if you haven’t already tried it, look into Barlean’s fish oils. A lot of folks have good luck with their Swirl line. The Orange Cream and Pomegranate flavors are favorites here.
Hi Beverley,
What dosage do you give your child? my son is 19 months and I’m not sure if it is safe to give him a tablespoon of agape. Thanks
Thank you for this list! My daughter has to have folate/methyl b vitamins and they are very hard to find. I wanted to tell you though, that the Natural Vitality liquid you have listed states folic acid on the label
Very helpful list though 🙂
Thank you Carrie! That supplement has been removed from the list. The company, Natural Vitality, confirmed that they used the synthetic version.
Lucy for small children taking Agape its best for you to contact your physician..
When is the best time of the day to take agape… I take many Meds.
As with any multi-vitamin, just before a meal, or with a meal is best.
Hi Shelley, thank you so much for sharing this valuable information with us! I am looking for a liquid multi vitamin/mineral for a 3,5 year autistic little boy. I am interested in the one you’re using (Sunwarrior Vitamin Mineral Rush) but am wondering how much is safe to give him? I looked on Sunwarrior’s site but can’t find the recommended dosage for a child under 4. Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks again! Anne-Marie
Hi Anne-Marie, The adult does is 2tsp per day. I halved the dose for my son, giving 1tsp per day, who was 4 years old at the time.
Hi Shelley,
My 5 year ASD boy has very intense desire to put all things not food into his mouth (plastic toys/eraser/mulch/Ice melt(salt)/silicon/pencil leads – just anything inedible). I have checked with his primary care physician many many times requesting them to check for deficiencies and consistently got the reply that this is a phase and his numbers look good on the blood work. I clearly feel he has deficiencies which is why he is unable to control eating these things up.
Is there any suggestion you would have for a multivitamin that could help with this symptom?
would ‘Sunwarrior Vitamin Mineral Rush ‘ this be a good place to being the healing? Any advise is hugely appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Ash,
This is known as pica and it is well known flag for mineral imbalances. The big ones are going to be Zinc and Iron. Here is a great article on it. https://nutritioncare.net/pica-101/
Hello, Thank you so much for writing such an interesting article and great resource ! We stumbled across this article and wanted to update that BrainChild Nutritionals (https://www.brainchildnutritionals.com) liquid vitamins are only using the active form of the Folate (vitamin B9). The Folate form used in all multi-vitamins are the (6S)-5-METHYLTETRAHYDROFOLATE (also known as Quatrefolic®). Synthetic Folic acid and also food folate are not biologically active and need to be converted to the metabolically active 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) through a multi-steps process where the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays a key role. Some children (and adults), due to their unique genetic patterns and expression, have polymorphic forms of this enzyme and do not produce adequate or effective MTHFR…. That’s why any brand of supplement that provide active folate (B9) needs to have the capability of passing the gastric barrier and be absorbed mainly in the small intestine. This is to ensures a higher folate nutritional uptake.
Thank you for the update!