Required For Life

Folate is a critical nutrient for methylation, a vital process required for life. During pregnancy, folate supports a baby’s healthy neural tube development. But, it goes way beyond early development. It can influence mood, sleep, memory, and more for both children and parents.

Multiple Forms

Types of folate include folic acid, folinic acid, food folate, and methylfolate.

Folic acid is the form commonly found in multivitamins because it is cheap and stable. However, those with the MTHFR gene variation (> 60% of people) aren’t able to metabolize folic acid efficiently.

Methylfolate is the active form found in our bodies. When you take methylfolate, your body can use it immediately because it doesn’t have to convert it to anything else. Quatrefolic® (glucosamine salt of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate ) is one brand of methylfolate.

Folinic acid (5-formyltetrahydrofolate) is a naturally occurring folate. It can convert easily to methylfolate without the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. This allows your body to regulate the amount of methylated vitamins it needs.

It is important to note that folinic acid is different from folic acid. Folic acid is synthetic and does not exist in nature, whereas folinic acid exists naturally and is biologically active.