Table of Contents
Folate Vs. Folic Acid | Risks of excessive folic acid intake | Folate food sources
If I asked you which of these vitamins was found naturally in food, folate or folic acid, would you know the answer? If not, you’re in good company. Medical professionals, nutrition experts, and health practitioners frequently mix up the two, simply because the terms are often used interchangeably.
Many health professionals would even argue that folate and folic acid are essentially the same nutrient. While folic acid is often considered to be a supplemental form of folate, there is an important distinction between these two different compounds. For women past childbearing age, and for men in general, excessive doses of the synthetic form of this nutrient are not necessary, and may even be harmful.
The difference between folate and folic acid?
Folate is a general term for a group of water soluble b-vitamins, and is also known as B9. Folic acid refers to the oxidized synthetic compound used in dietary supplements and food fortification, whereas folate refers to the various tetrahydrofolate derivatives naturally found in food.
The form of folate that can enter the main folate metabolic cycle is tetrahydrofolate (THF). (2) Unlike natural folates, which are metabolized to THF in the mucosa of the small intestine, folic acid undergoes initial reduction and methylation in the liver, where conversion to the THF form requires dihydrofolate reductase.
Several studies have reported the presence of unmetabolized folic acid in the blood following the consumption of folic acid supplements or fortified foods. (3) Human exposure to folic acid was non-existent until its chemical synthesis in 1943, and was introduced as a mandatory food fortification in 1998. (4) Food fortification was deemed mandatory due to overwhelming evidence for the protective effect of folic acid supplementation before conception and during early pregnancy on the development of neural tube defects (NTD) in newborns.
Risks associated with excessive folic acid intake
While the incidence of NTDs in the United States been significantly reduced since folic acid fortification began, there has been concern about the safety of chronic intake of high levels of folic acid from fortified foods, beverages and dietary supplements. (5) One of the major risks associated with excessive intake of folic acid is the development of cancer. (6) In patients with ischemic heart disease in Norway, where there is no folic acid fortification of foods, treatment with folic acid plus vitamin B12 was associated with increased cancer outcomes and all-cause mortality. In the United States, Canada, and Chile, the institution of a folic acid supplementation program was associated with an increased prevalence of colon cancer. (7, 8) A randomized control trial found that that daily supplementation with 1 mg of folic acid was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. (9)
Researchers have hypothesized that the excessive consumption of folic acid in fortified foods may be directly related to the increase in cancer rates. Excess folic acid may stimulate the growth of established neoplasms, which can eventually lead to cancer. The presence of unmetabolized folic acid in the blood is associated with decreased natural killer cytotoxicity. (10) Since natural killer cells play a role in tumor cell destruction, this would suggest another way in which excess folic acid might promote existing premalignant and malignant lesions.
In one study, consumption of folic acid in excess of 400 micrograms per day among older adults resulted in significantly faster rate of cognitive decline than supplement nonusers. (11) Another study found a higher prevalence of both anemia and cognitive impairment in association with high folic acid intake in older adults with a low vitamin B12 status. (12) As vitamin B12 deficiency is a common problem for many older adults, these studies suggest that high folic acid intake could cause serious cognitive consequences in the elderly.
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Folate from natural food sources is best
Folate aids the complete development of red blood cells, reduces levels of homocysteine in the blood, and supports nervous system function. It is well known for its role in preventing neural tube defects in newborns, so women of childbearing age must be sure to have an adequate intake prior to and during pregnancy.
Excellent sources of dietary folate include vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils. (13) Not surprisingly, some of the best food sources of folate are calf’s liver and chicken liver.
You can supplement with folate if your dietary intake is inadequate. Look for products that contain the Metfolin brand, or list “5-methyltetrahydrofolate” or “5-MTHF” on the label. Avoid products that say “folic acid” on the label. Make sure to check your multivitamin because most multis contain folic acid and not folate.
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The Adapt Naturals Core Plus bundle features two products that contain folate. Bio-Avail Multi, a multivitamin/multimineral and phytonutrient blend, contains 680 mcg of the most active form of folate, methyltetrahydrofolate. Bio-Avail Organ contains a blend of five organ meats (live, kidney, heart, pancreas, and spleen), which are among the highest sources of folate in the diet.
Women planning on becoming pregnant should consume between 800 and 1200 mcg of folate per day for several months before the start of pregnancy. Unless you’re consuming chicken or calf’s liver and substantial amounts of leafy greens on a regular basis, it’s difficult to obtain this amount from diet alone. If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, I recommend supplementing with 600-800 mcg of folate per day, depending on your dietary intake. Solgar
is a good brand, but there are several others that typically use 5-MTHF including Designs for Health, Thorne, Metabolic Maintenance and Pure Encapsulations.
All other people, such as men and older women, should be able to get plenty of folate in a diet with adequate vegetable consumption, and do not need to supplement.
Just wondering what your advise would be for women in their 40s who have been taking prenatal vitamins for years whilst they are trying to conceive? Personally, I’ve been taking prenatals everyday for the last 6 years (I’ve just turned 40) but i know of many other women who have been taking them for a lot longer than me.
Just to clarify, I’m speaking of prenatals with folic acid of course. If persons shouldn’t be taking folic acid for extensive periods, what would your advice be for women having difficulty conceiving and therefore being on them for years?
Genovas Organic acids test indicated for me a Folate and other B vitamin deficiencies in multiple markers. I wonder if supplementing would be in any way safer in this situation? Or is the test even reliable. All my Genova tests are visible at my website.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the good work you are doing for everyone. I daily take a New Chapter 40+ Every Man’s One Day Multi and have spoken with the company to inquire about the source of the folate in this product. They explained that they start with a synthetic folic acid and use a double fermented process using Brewer’s yeast to create the folate that they eventually use. Could you kindly shed some light on what this means and if you would recommend switching to a different source of folate? Much thanks for your help and your time.
Best,
Thomas
Good morning Chris!!
Firstly, this article was greatly beneficial to me!!! Thank you for bringing up the concern with folate v. folic acid. I know you get so many comments and questions everyday, so I will try to keep mine brief. I am currently debated to use a supplement from a company called MyNutrition Source. The product is Doctor’s Choice Thyroid Synergy. It’s second ingredient listed on the label is Folate (as Folic Acid) 600mcg per day. With the way it is worded does that mean that it is just folic acid or could it be folate? What is you advice with taking the product? Thank you so much for your time with answering my question!!! Have a great day!!!
Jennie
Jennie,
Your supplement ingredient labeled Folate (Folic Acid) is folic acid. Folic acid is considered to be a form of folate.
I would avoid anything with folate qualified as folic acid. Folic acid is synthetic. Methylfolate is the natural form of folate. There are several brands that have methylfolate, including Solgar and Seeking Health.
My son has severe food allergies. I found Metagenics Ultra-Care For Kids, and I use it in smoothies and it has been very helpful. However, it has folate, listed in the ingredients as Folic Acid. Every other supplement or powder I have seen contains soy, often listed as vitamin E or tocopherols, and he is very allergic to soy. I don’t know what to do now. I don’t want to give my son something he is allergic to, and I don’t want to give him something that causes cancer…
While I see a big “to-do” about people with a MTHFR genetic defect needing to take folate, because there is a misunderstanding that folic acid does not convert for us, the fact is, according to Gilbody S, Lewis S, Lightfoot T. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genetic polymorphisms and psychiatric disorders: a HuGE review. Am J Epidemiol. 2007 Jan;165(1:1-13/
Epub 2006 Oct 30 we DO convert folic acid at a rate of 30% to 60%. And since some people with the MTFHR defect have terrible side effects when we take folate, according to “Methylfolate Side Effects. MTHFR.net. March 1, 2012,” if we take a high dose of folic acid, such as 1,000 mcg or even up to the prescription 5,000 mcg of folic acid, we convert enough folic acid, when added to what we get from food that it appears that just taking inexpensive folic acid is superior to taking more expensive folate, because folic acid does not cause the side-effects that folate can cause for some people. I know that my blood tests show no difference in homocysteine if I take folate or folic acid, because the multivitamin that I take gives me 1,000 mcg of folic acid. After doing blood tests I conclude that buying an extra folate supplement as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate is a waste of money and so I will continue to just get 1,000 mcg of folic acid from the multivitamin that I take. As to which multi to take for pregnancy, Googling shows that Super Nutrition SimplyOne Prenatal, which provides 1,000 mcg of folic acid, gets 5 stars. I know the product well, because my father created it, and it is the best buy in the world, with the highest potencies of critical nutrients for pregnancy for the least amount of money spent (for instance, it has 3,000 IU of vitamin D), so that is my disclaimer. But also, as you can see, I only deal with facts, backed by published data.
Hi Michael, that’s some interesting info there, thank you. I get your point that MTHFR ‘mutants’ DO convert folic acid – just at a lesser rate (30% to 60%), so let’s just take heaps of the (much) less expensive folic acid so we can ultimately get enough. But what of the leftover, unconverted folic acid? The 40 – 70%? What happens to it? As I understand it, it’s the unmetabolized folic acid that’s the cancer risk.
There are lots of data to go through to give a complete analysis of this notion, Sing Sing.
However, I found three studies that looked at folic acid and cancer risk most interesting, in particular the second study because Walter Willett, Chair of Harvard Nutrition, was involved. If his name is on a study, it is highly credible. From what I gathered this study was one he produced in a campaign to begin to clear up this misunderstanding about folic acid safety, as he is known as a very conservative long-term champion of nutritional science.
Also, the third study was compelling because it was recent, it was rather comprehensive, and it was of high quality.
It was published in 2013 and was a meta-analysis, published in Lancet, which specifically looked at folic acid and cancer with 49,621 subjects, with a weighted mean duration of 5.2 years and daily doses of folic acid ranging from 500 mcg mg to 5 mg (5,000 mcg), with one trial using a dose of 40 mg (!).
The Lancet study found that even high-dose folic acid supplementation produced no risk of cancer.
1. Wu K et al. A randomized trial on folic acid supplementation and risk of recurrent colorectal adenoma. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Dec;90(6):1623-31.
2. Lee JE et al. Folate intake and risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma: modification by time. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Apr;93(4):817-25.
3. Vollset SE et al. Effects of folic acid supplementation on overall and site-specific cancer incidence during the randomised trials: meta-analyses of data on 50,000 individuals. Lancet. 2013 Mar 23;381(19871):1029-36.
So far, over the last 25+ years, whenever I dig into these anti-vitamin studies, they fall apart. I have found basically none of them to be anything but scary stuff that the media loves to riddle us with because it sells papers OR misunderstandings generated by poor quality studies, that even confuse people who are generally good sources of information.
Vitamins are proven to be among the safest things that we can put in our mouths, and folic acid, while synthetic, appears to be superior to folate, because over and over it has been shown to cause no problems, while being good for many aspects of health, where supplemental folate can cause serious side-effects for a few of those of us that have MTHFR defects.
I was warned about this by one of the world authority nutritionist ND’s, David Getoff (http://www.naturopath4you.com/), who is on the Board at Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation.
He told me that he has had a number of patients come in whose MD found that they had a MTFHR defective genes and put them on 5-methyl folate and they experienced fatigue, acne-like skin problems and a host of other side-effects until he took them off 5-methyl folate and put them back on folic acid. He said it was likely a detox reaction.
I found no change in my homocysteine when I switched to high-dose 5-methyl-folate from high-dose folic acid and many people would experience the same thing if they do the blood tests because we shouldn’t forget that taking folic acid is supposed to be a supplement to what we get from food.
Eat plenty of healthy fresh natural foods and you have the foundation to address folate needs and then the supplements are just added protection. Nothing scary about that!
I switched back to just taking a high-potency multi that gives me 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day, while I continue to eat well. Also, my homocycsteine blood tests continue to look good.
I do 2-3 comprehensive blood tests a year and have been for about 25 years, as I have been doing research on anti-aging techniques for 47 of my 61 years under the mentorship of my biochemist father.
Many blessings!
My wife and I experienced side effects of “methylfolate”
It was in several multi vitamins we tried from Thorne Research, Vital Nutrients and Ortho Molecular.
Side effects we felt:
rritability
insomnia
sore muscles
achy joints
severe anxiety
palpitations
nausea
headaches
migraines
We went back to a GOOD multi with “Folic Acid” and all side effects went bye bye.
hi Michale,
I have the 677 gene defect but was given a bio active form of folic acid 800mcg. Reading this article and cancer risks associated with folic acid I’m concerned as I was told to take it for the rest of my life. You seem knowledge on this topic wondering if you can provide some guidance?
Thanks 🙂
Well, the cancer risks have been dismissed. For instance, Walter Willet, Chair of Nutrition of Harvard, published a study specifically looking at “synthetic folic acid” and colorectal cancer and found lower risk of colorectal cancer.
http://michaelmooney.net/FolateReducesCancerWillet.html
Others have found the similar:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/778149?nlid=27526_1049&src=nldne
http://michaelmooney.net/FolicAcidDoesNotCauseCancer.pdf
When I asked David Getoff about the unconverted folic acid, he said, it just gets excreted, like all the other B-vitamins. If you know David, he’s one of the brightest long-term traditional (no drug therapies) naturopaths in the world. When he says something it is because he has tested for it in his patients.
His website – http://www.naturopath4you.com/
Just came across this website.
I have never been so confused in my life! I’m 32 years old and want to start trying to conceive and I keep procrastinating because I can’t find a consistent answer as to what and how much to take. When I asked my Dr to recommend a brand of pre natal vitamins I was told to just buy whatever is on sale in the store! I’m not a big pill taker and everything I look up has terrible reviews. I do not want to take a vitamin that is going to make me nauseous or vomit all day. I came across metagenics folapro but there is no answer if that is safe to take before or during pregnancy and there customer service had no answer for me. It’s description is its for the MTHFR mutation which I’ve never heard of and have no idea if I have or not. Some on here say we should be taking folate while others are saying that has terrible side effects and just take folic acid. Can someone please help me! I currently take 400mg of magnesium glycerinate and fever few for migraines and just want to know what to take for pre conception and during pregnancy?!
You might want to check with your doctor, but I’m a firm believer that you can get what you need in its natural form, why do we always seek the lazy path when it comes to our health and then pay double the price if not more trying to cure ourselves.
I was reading this a few minutes ago, check it http://www.healthjuices.net/juicing-health/juicing-folate-folate-rich-foods/
I agree with you completely. Why the big push on supplements. Supplement companies will be the next pharma conglomerates.
Garden of Life Raw prenatal is perfect. Many times it’s cheaper on Amazon than at a store. Have taken it for 3 years, after many other brands during my first 5 pregnancies and nursing. You will not regret forking out the $$ for this one!☺☺
I’m sorry, but GOL is a horrid company, with a huge profit margin. I won’t buy anything they produced because the company is founded on lies about J Rubin having terrible health problems as a child. An old-time health store worker that lives in the town he grew up in told me that he was never had those health problems and it was a crock of great marketing.The have a gigantic profit margin created by fooling the public into believing the nonsensical story of a guy that completely fabricated the basis for the entire company.
My two cents about GOL.
J Rubin sold company several years ago to Atrium Innovations Inc. A Canadian company that also owns several “Doctors Only” supplements. Way way overpriced Walmart vitamins.
Rubin is just a paid spokesman for GOL
Yes, and Atrium Innovations Inc. bought GOL because they have a huge profit margin – meaning they give the consumer little as far as raw material cost for the dollar spent.
So it just continues Rubin’s profiteering at the expense of the public that is fooled into believing that ANY GOL product is worth its money.
I’ve tried the premama prenatal vitamin drink and really liked it – http://www.drinkpremama.com/
I’ve had three pregnancies on regular folic acid and flinstone vitamins but over the past years all the information I’ve been reading has made me really anxious. I’m trying to read less of the information and trust my body more. I seem to do fine with folic acid.
I agree with a lot of what Michael has said, and I also wonder if, despite MTHFR mutation, our bodies have other adaptations and genetic mutations we don’t know about that let us get the nutrients we need. When I started messing around with my diets and supplements, my anxiety went through the roof and I developed orthorexia.
Now I’m trying to return to a more balanced approach. Anyway, I highly recommend premama – I mix mine with purple grape juice which masks the iron taste.
Just checked out Pure Encapsulations website and the ingredient list for the prenatal contains 1mg of folic acid.
Chris, do you still recommend this brand?
Solgar prenatal vitamins specify 0.15mg Folacin (folic acid prep.) is this ok?
Much too little FA to reduce bitrh defect and folicin just means folic acid.
I have elevated rbc folate levels and elevated serum folate levels( not folic acid) I am homo for the 667 gene mthfr. I know thT at least 60. Percent of the folate level that is tested is the methylated form. Any ideas why it is so high fserum is greater than 20 and rbc is 1244. Thank you!!!
For whatever it’s worth – and I hope this helps alleviate fears in expectant women who have been using folic acid to prevent NTD – I had been taking 400 mcg of folic acid daily for about ten years prior to the birth of my son. I was in my late 30’s by then, taking twice that dose during pregnancy, and I thank God that he was and is a bright, healthy, and handsome fellow (now an honors student in his junior year at college). I realize, after reading Chris’s information, that I may have been blessed with better than average dihydrofolate reductase conversion, but this seems unlikely for an “elderly primipara” originally prescribed folic acid for hypermethioninemia.
L-5-MTHF should only be taken if a person has been tested and found that their body cannot convert Folic Acid into Folate.
L-5-MTHF is actually a drug that was cleared for over the counter supplementation a few years ago.
We had it in our Multi-vitamins from Thorne Research and experinced most of the below symptoms. We took multi for alomot 6 months and were always dizzy, couldn’t sleep, had headaches and dry mouth and lips.
We tried Vital Nutrients and got the same results
Wet back to Pure Essence Labs with regular folic acid and our symptoms went away inside of 10 days. Tried another multi with L-5-MTHF and symptoms came back within a couple of day.
No more L-5-MTHF for us.
Methylfolate Side Effects:
irritability
insomnia
sore muscles
achy joints
acne
rash
severe anxiety
palpitations
nausea
headaches
migraines
Perfect answer!
Thanks for this info Rock. : )
I have many MTHFR hetero and homozygous mutations. Since I haven’t felt well (very unwell, in fact) for the last 9-12 months, I’ve been tested for bookoos of things and the only test that comes out slightly above reference is my alkaline and a very high B12. I did most of the B12 testing that’s been suggested (serum b12, homocysteine, methylmalonic acid, unsaturated b12 binding capacity, they couldn’t do the holotranscobalamin) as well as many, many other blood tests, but I just noticed I’ve never been tested for folate. I read that labs often don’t test for this any longer because it’s so rare to have a folate deficiency. I’m a little confused about folate because B12 is a folate, but folate includes other B vitamins as well, right? Is folate testing something I should seek? I pretty much decided I must have suddenly turned into a hypochondriac at 57 since my functional doctor (who BTW knows nothing about gene mutations) seems to think I’m fine. Aargh. 🙁
Our lab won’t test B12 without testing for folate as well. I can’t recall the exact explanation but I think it’s that one deficiency can mask the other. Probably related to the clinical sign of deficiency of either – megalocytic anemia. The folate status is also used to help diagnose what’s causing a low plasma B12. http://www.labnet.health.nz/resources/file/Vitamin%20B12%20and%20Folate%20Comments%20July%202013.pdf
Honora,
B12 is not a folate. Folate is B9. Folate is an umbrella term which can be used to label many forms of B9, including folic acid, MTHF, and folinic acid, among others.
The conventional blood test called Serum Folate actually measures folic acid levels. If a person is taking folic acid and they can’t metabolize it, the serum folate levels can be very high, because the folic acid is not getting into the cells but instead pooling in the blood.
An excellent test for measuring folate levels in the blood is The Methylation Pathways test from HRDI-USA or European Nutrients if overseas. See http://www.hdri-usa.com/tests/methylation/. This test measures Glutathione (oxidized), Glutathione (reduced), S-adenosyl-methionine (RBC), S-adenosyl-homocysteine (RBC), Tetrahydrofolate (THE), 5-methyl-THF, 10-forrnyl-THF, 5-formyl-THF, Folic Acid, Folinic Acid, Folic Acid (RBC), Adenosine. Dr. Rich Konynenburg, highly respected in the CFS/ME patient community before his passing 2 or so years ago, recommended this test.
Oops, I should have said Carol, not Honora.
Thanks. I must admit my blood did boil until read that correction, Lynn!
Ooops! Until I ….
Also, how does one know they have the MTHF deficiency?
You can get MTHFR genetic testing ordered through your GP. Its no different to getting any other blood test except your GP ,if like mine, possibly wont have a clue what it is, will spend a while telling you it makes no sense and will try and talk you out of bothering. If you want it done be persistant!
23andMe.com tests for about 51 MTHFR snps, as well as almost a million other genetic snps, all for $99. Probably a lot easier and cheaper than trying to talk a doctor into ordering a stand-alone MTHFR test.
This reference disagrees… http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e0a.htm
“folic acid is reduced in cells by the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase to the di- and tetrahydro forms. This takes place within the intestinal mucosal cells.” The above article says this takes place in the liver. Seems like this needs to be rectified.
I appears that folic acid is much more bioavailable than food folate, because folic acid is a predigested form, and could easily lead to overdosing, which is always a problem.
Kathyrn,
You need to look at a depiction of the entire folate cycle. The only active form of folate in the body is MTHF (methylenetetrahydrofolate). That is the form that is used for metabolic processes. Folic acid needs to go through a number of conversion steps before it becomes MTHF, and each step requires a different enzyme. MTHFR polymorphisms may be the most well-known conditions in which the conversion process is impaired, but there are snps associated with each of the steps that can impair conversion of folic acid to MTHF.
A number of different forms of folates are found in foods, including MTHF itself. The other forms are further along the stepwise conversion path than folic acid is. Folic acid is less bioavailable than forms found in food.
Folic acid is cheaper and more stable than MTHF. However, it poses two dangers. First, people with MTHFR mutations metabolize it poorly and therefore it accumulates in the blood as unmetabolized folic acid. A person with homozygous MTHFR metabolizes only 30% of folic acid. Heterozygotes metabolize around 60%. But around 40% of the population is either homozygous of heterozygous MTHFR, so this impacts a lot of people.
The second danger is that folic acid competitively inhibits the more active form of MTHF from being taken up by the receptors on the cell membrane. Folic acid blocks MTHF from entering the cell.
“Folic acid is less bioavailable than forms found in food.” Howso, Chris?
Supplemental USP-type folic acid has been shown to absorb about 40% better than folic acid found in food. (Neuhouser ML, et al. Absorption of dietary and supplemental folate in women with prior pregnancies with neural tube defects. J Am Coll Nutr 1998 Dec;17(6):625-630.)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9853543
Further, in a randomized, controlled trial, 437 mcg of supplemental folic acid reduced homocysteine by 20%, while folate from a plant-food source reduced it by only 9%. (Riddell LJ, et al. Dietary strategies for lowering homocysteine concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1448-1454.)
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1448.long
This is because food folate is bound to proteins that have to be broken down by digestion before the folate is gleaned for absorption.
Folate in some food materials is even more poorly absorbed.
For instance, folate in yeast (Sacchromyces cerevisiae) is bound to gamma glutamyl peptide, which cannot be broken down by human stomachs, so it has to be broken down, inefficiently in the jejunum in the small intestine, where it absorbs about 30%, where folic acid absorbs about 90%. (Swenseid ME, et al. Metabolic function of pteroylglutamic acid and its hexaglutamyl conjugate. II. Urinary excretion studies on normal persons. Effect of a conjugase inhibitor. J Lab Clin Med 32:23-27, 1947)
This notion that folic acid is poorly absorbed is contrary to published science.
So what is the best pre-natal recommended then???
I know its wikipedia BUT i just read this:
“And Folinic Acid should not be administered to pregnant woman because it can weaken the unborn baby’s immune system”
And i was just about to purchase it to use pre-conception and through first trimester. Whether its right or wrong i now see i need to read more!!
It does say on Wikipedia that folinic acid should not be confused with folic acid. Folinic acid is a chemo therapy. Cheers.
Folinic acid is sometimes used as a chemotherapy agent, in very large doses. But folinic acid is merely one of the intermediary steps in the conversion of precursor folate forms to MTHF. It is perfectly safe to take as a supplement.
Hi Chris,
Dr. Lynch (mthfr.net) discusses that the word “folate” is an umbrella term for the various folates out there. In medicine, this ‘folate umbrella’ refers to ‘folic acid’, ‘folinic acid’, and ‘methyl folate’. I noticed you didn’t differentiate folinic acid & methyl folate … and instead just referred to them as “folate”. Wouldn’t this still refer to ‘folic acid’ in some way? Just seeking clarification.
Thank you. 🙂
People get lazy when they talk about folate and are guilty of not using precise terms. I think folate is often incorrectly used to mean some form of B9 other than folic acid, and that is probably what Chris did when he referred to folinic acid and methyl folate as folates.
Folinic acid is one of the intermediary steps in the conversion pathway to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the ultimate end product of the folate pathway, which is probably what Chris was referring to when he said methylfolate. Folinic acid is 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate, a natural substance and not synthesized.
I am trying to find the 5-methyltetrahydrofolate you mention in the article. I’ve copied below the supplemental facts of a supplement I’m considering getting. Is this the same thing? All the supplements I’ve found so far say hydrofoLIC instead of hydrofoLATE…
Folate (as Quatrefolic®
[6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid equivalent to 1.6 mg of [6S]-5- methyltetrahydrofolic acid, glucosamine salt)
800 mcg 200%
Michwag,
The product you cite is equivalent to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. It is a newer product and perhaps superior because it is considered to be more stable.
If the FDA has it’s way the word/term “folate” will be banned from the Supplement Fact labels, and only the term “folic acid” will be allowed.
Note that the FDA is not exactly banning the inclusion of folate and requiring the inclusion of folic acid in supplements. They are simply proposing to ban supplement producers from using the word folate on their labels (and, conversely only allowing the term folic acid). But it would, of course, be fraudulent to put folic acid on your label and then use something else. And, the FDA understands that perfectly.
In other words, the FDA is playing a much more subtle, sneaky, underhanded game in order to slip one by American consumers. As usual, by the time John Q Public figure out what has happened, it’ll be too late to do anything about it. And, for all practical purposes natural folate will disappear from any/all supplements.
If approved, this regulation will leave about a third of the human population facing two potential problems: a deficiency in folate (because they are unable to convert synthetic folic acid into the biologically available form), a possible excess of folic acid (because their body can’t metabolize what could become an overabundance of folic acid present in “fortified” foods).
Marie Antoinette may have said: let them eat cake. Uncle sam says: let them eat garbage.
Eventually ALL natural foods and substances will be banned. The only thing we will be allowed to eat or drink will synthetic chemicals, natural substances sold as prescription medications, genetically modified or cloned foods produced.
Is this version of folate safe: Folate [as (6S)-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid, glucosamine salt]
Quatrefolic® 800 mcg?
Took Deplin for 3 months, and it helped. Found the Thorne 5-MTHF too expensive and started on this.
Asia,
Dr. Ben Lynch has a great article explaining the different types: http://mthfr.net/l-methylfolate-methylfolate-5-mthf/2012/04/05/
The 6S form is active, so that’s good. I don’t know how much you’re paying for Deplin, but would Metanx cost less? There are companies that offer it for a discount. I get mine from Brand Direct Health.