Folate Supplements

About Folate Supplements

Folate is a natural vitamin and a part of the B Complex group that includes Vitamin B6 and B12. Folate performs a number of crucial functions within the human body that we simply can't live without. It is essential for the "re-cycling" of homocysteine back to methionine, the former of which is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease.

Folate is required in greater amounts during rapid growth and for red blood cell production. Folate is important for the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, and to reduce the risk for premature or low birth weight babies.

There are a few different forms of folate found in supplements, such as activated folate, semi-activated and synthetic forms. For folate to be utilised properly it must first be "activated" in the human body, or converted to 5-MTHF. Activating folate in the human body is a cimplicated biochemical process that involves several organs and enzymatic reactions.

In supplements, you may see it as 5-methylenetetrahydrafolate (5-MTHF) or folinic acid. The former is a fully activated form, while folinic acid is semi-activated. Folic acid is a synthetic form of the natural form of this vitamin, which is called folate. Some of the richest food sources for folate are dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli and asparagus.