Folic Acid vs. Folate Explained and Simplified

Today I’m going to cover folic acid and folate. Are they the same? No, they’re not—and we’re going to talk about why. Folic acid is the synthetic version of vitamin B9, and folate is the natural version. Many pregnant women take a supplement that contains folic acid because data shows that it can help prevent neural tube defects. But many people are finding that they have a genetic mutation related to B9, which means there could be a problem if they take folic acid. This genetic mutation involves an enzyme responsible for converting folic acid into an active form so your body can use it. People with this mutation need more vitamin B9 than usual, but it’s also important that they don’t have too much. For example, one of the top benefits of vitamin B9 is that it protects against the initiation of cancer. However, excess vitamin B9 is also involved in the initiation of new cancer cells. The solution is to take a version of vitamin B9 that doesn’t require an enzyme to be converted—making this genetic mutation not a problem anymore. What we need is more methylfolate. Methylfolate is a type of vitamin B9 that’s easily absorbed and doesn’t require other enzyme reactions like synthetic folic acid does. Overall, it’s essential to avoid products that contain folic acid and consume more foods that contain natural folate. The best source of natural B9 is dark leafy green vegetables. DATA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23125... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crin...