Folate (Vitamin B9)

Folic acid is a synthetic form of Vitamin B9 that must be converted in the body to the active form, 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF).

Vitamin B9 and Vitamin B12 often work together, and may often produce the same deficiency symptoms. Sometimes, supplementing folate can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, and vice versa. Please consult with a licensed health care provider before supplementing either Vitamin B9 or Vitamin B12.

5-MTHF is critical to a number of biochemical systems in the body:

• Required for the synthesis of purines and pyrimidine (e.g. ATP and DNA).
• Required for neurotransmitter synthesis and for detoxification pathways.
• Reduces the risk for birth defects (spina bifida and anencephaly) -- by 50% or more.
• Necessary for normal production of red blood cells.

Symptoms of folate deficiency include:

• Megaloblastic anemia and other blood disorders (caution: may also indicate Vitamin B12 deficiency).
• Poor growth (inability to make DNA for cell division, especially for rapidly multiplying cells such as mucus membranes and bone marrow).
• Various neural and psychiatric symptoms (e.g. polyneuropathy, depression, anxiety, fatigue, apathy, confusion, or dementia) [Gaby2011, pg 73].
• Impaired immune function.
• Elevated homocysteine levels in the blood (cardiovascular risk factor).

Folic acid must be converted to the active form, 5-methyl-tetrahyrofolate by the the enzymes dihydrofolate reductase and serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Some people have a genetic predisposition to not be able to make this conversion efficiently, which can result in a build-up of folic acid in the body and a deficiency of the active form.

This active form is used as a "methyl donor" in a variety of important chemical processes in the body. It is then recycled by the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). Some people have a genetic predisposition to not be able to make this conversion efficiently, which can result in an a deficiency of 5-methyl-tetrahyrofolate.

Listed below are examples of some of foods with good folate content. However, different authorities vary greatly in their reported values. There is concern that modern agricultural practices is causing a general decline in the nutritional content of the food supply).

•       [Gaby2011]   Alan R. Gaby. Nutritional Medicine. Concord, NH: Fritz Perlberg Publishing (2011). Amazon
•       [Marz1999]   Russell B Marz . Medical Nutrition from Marz, Second Edition. Portland, OR: Omni-Press (1999). Amazon
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  [WebMD]
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  [Linus Pauling Institute]
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  [Folic Acid]
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  [5-Methyl-THF]
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  [NIH]
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  [Wiki]
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  [ScienceDirect]