Cate (Melbourne, Australia) on 09/29/2014
I was pregnant with my now almost one year old and developed RLS in the fifth or sixth month of gestation. It was HORRIFIC. I went about three weeks without sleep, exhausted beyond words. My mood was foul, I was a mental case. I knew I'd find a cure, so spent night after night searching. Eventually I found a great site, and realised I was lacking folate. Not folic acid which is some budget man-made chemical, but genuine bio-available pure folate from clean animal sources. Being paleo helps too.
I bought some grass-fed calves liver the following morning, ate up about half a cup and slept more deeply and with the greatest relief, you will only know the bliss that accompanied that sleep if you've suffered from this evil modern curse yourself.
Grass-fed liver- beef, ox, lamb, even chicken liver in pate. Get some folate in you.
Replied By Prioris (Fl, US) on 09/29/2014
I take an activated form B complex containing
Folate (as Quatrefolic [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid equivalent to 800 mcg of [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid, glucosamine salt) 400 mcg
This is suppose to be bio available.
Did you try this before trying liver. Also how much Folate would you estimate you are consuming.
Replied By Jon (Australia) on 11/03/2014
The high iron content is probably why eating liver gave relief.
There is 23mg of Iron in just 100g of liver!
Liver (Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Beef)
| Iron in 100g | 4oz Serving (113g) | 1 ounce (28g) |
| 23mg (129% DV) | 26mg (146% DV) | 7mg (36% DV |
My favourite source of iron is Black-strap Molasses. It contains bio-available iron.
Replied By Barbara (Indianapolis In) on 08/29/2020
And since low iron / ferritin stores can often be a nutrient-deficiency cause of RLS, the fact that you had such a positive response to eating the liver suggests that it was primarily the heme iron that helped your RLS.
The other known nutrient-deficiency cause of RLS is folate (which is the type I have). Based on research I have done (I am not medical professional or scientist), it is my understanding that RLS is not a muscular condition but a neurological condition due to faulty dopamine processing in the brain (which could be either a deficiency or malfunction of dopamine receptors in the brain). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which, among many things, controls sensory and motor impulses (ability to feel being touched and ability to move).
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320637#causes
I resolve (not cure) my RLS by taking a folate (not folic acid) supplement, calcium folinate, because I also have the genetic variation MTHFR (diagnosed through a blood test). I say resolve not cure because if I stop taking the supplement the symptoms of RLS come roaring back.
People with MTHFR do not convert folic acid properly, so they don't get the benefit of the folic acid as well as the unconverted folic acid can build up in the body and cause problems. Calcium folinate and another fully-converted folate supplement, L-5 MTHF (Quatrefolic or Metafolin) and eating lots of cooked greens, provides the body (and brain!) with adequate amount of folate. Folate and iron are nutrient building blocks of dopamine.