Proper Folate Supplementation

With all the positive research coming out lately about folate for dementia and alzheimer's prevention, I thought I'd remind you about how the folate cycle works. Folate must go through an enzymatic process before it can be absorbed: Folic Acid --> 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate --> L-5-methyltertrahydrofolate. Most of us only get the folic acid, either through supplementation or food-fortification.

Current research indicates that as much as 38% of the population experiences difficulty metabolizing folate due to genetic variation (references available upon request). For these individuals, supplementing with folic acid is virtually worthless. The only way to tell if you have a genetic polymorphism is to through genetic testing (C677T MTHFR gene), which is expensive. Another way to insure you are absorbing folate properly is to purchase a complete folate product that includes folic acid, 5, 10 methyl and L-5 methyl. Metagenics makes one called Actifolate.

Steve