Methyl Folate

Description

There’s a wide range of benefits to getting enough Methyl Folate.

You may want to read “Folate Fact Sheet for Health Professionals”

Supports Brain Health
Helps regulate moods. May lower risk of dementia.

Supports Cardiovascular Health
Helps maintain normal homocysteine. High blood levels of homocysteine have been linked to:

• Higher risk of heart and vessel disease (even more of a threat to heart health than high cholesterol).
• Cardiovascular system damage, when combined with excessive serum cholesterol.
• Independent risk factor for the development of heart and brain diseases and stress.
• Damage to cells that line veins or arteries and stimulates the development of scar tissue in the damaged area.

May Reduce Risk of Stroke

May Reduce Risk of Birth Defects
Congenital heart defects, Autism spectrum disorder, low infant birth weight, preterm delivery, malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull and brain (anencephaly).

May Reduce Risk of Cancer
Colorectal, lung, pancreatic, esophageal, stomach, cervical, ovarian, breast, bladder and other cancers.

Groups at Risk of Folate Inadequacy

• People with alcohol use disorder
• Women of childbearing age
• Pregnant women
• People with malabsorptive disorders including tropical sprue, celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. Diminished gastric acid secretion associated with atrophic gastritis, gastric surgery, patients with inflammatory bowel disease have folate deficiency [39].
• People with an MTHFR polymorphism. Thy have a reduced ability to convert folate to one of its active forms, 5-MTHF, because the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase enzyme needed for this conversion is less active.

Why Not Take Just Folate?

Some people have a gene mutation affecting the MTHFR enzyme. These people are unable to convert folic acid to Methyl Folate. They must take Methyl Folate instead, to bypass the need for conversion.

If you have the gene mutation, or a digestive condition, and you are taking folic acid, you could end up with unmetabolized folic acid and Methyl Folate. Together, they’re linked with poor immune function and many other health conditions.

Folate refers to the water-soluble vitamin B9 that occurs naturally in food. Most adults need 400 mcg DFE (dietary folate equivalent) of folate each day, and we absorb about 50% of the folate available in food.