Folate
L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF)
L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF) is the biologically active form of folate, also known as vitamin B9. It’s the predominant type found naturally in the body and food sources.
L-5-MTHF plays a crucial role in various metabolic processes, including DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and the methylation cycle, making it essential for overall health and well-being.
The Optimal Form of Folate
Did you know? Folate is more bioavailable than folic acid. Folic Acid is synthetic and requires conversion from your body to become active.
In food, “folate” refers to a family of more than 100 natural compounds with vitamin B9 activity. But in your body, both food folates and folic acid need to be converted to the active form, known as L-5-MTHF. 5-MTHF is more bioavailable than folic acid because it is the metabolically active form and in turn can participate directly in one carbon metabolism.
DNA & RNA Synthesis
Protein Synthesis
Red Blood Cell Formation
Cell Division
Homocysteine Metabolism
Understanding Different Forms
Not all folate is created equal. Forms include:
Natural food
Found in a variety of foods, including vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and peas, as well as eggs, nuts, and legumes.
Synthetic folic acid
Synthetic folic acid is a man-made form of vitamin B9, but unlike natural folate, it requires conversion in the body and may not be efficiently processed by everyone.
L‑5‑MTHF (5‑methyltetrahydrofolate)
L‑5‑MTHF is more bioavailable than folic acid, which requires conversion before it can support methylation.
Sources of Folate from Food and Supplementation
Generally speaking, folate is consumed in three forms:
01
Dietary folate
These are sources of folate found naturally in our food, especially green leafy vegetables, liver, nuts, and legumes. Dietary folates are thought to have poor bioavailability because they have a long chemical tail, called a poly-glutamate chain.
For dietary folate to be absorbed, the body first has to ensure that the tail is shortened. The enzyme poly-γ-glutamate carboxypeptidase, or GCPII for short, located in the brush border of the jejunum, cleaves the long glutamate chain such that only one glutamate remains attached.
Only then can folate pass from the intestines into the enterocyte and then the bloodstream to be bioavailable in the body.
02
L-5-MTHF
This is a form of folate found in some dietary supplements, identical to the naturally occurring dietary folates found in food, with only one important exception. L-5-MTHF has a much higher bioavailability than naturally occurring dietary folates because it does not have the long polyglutamate tail.1,2
This means that L-5-MTHF is directly absorbed from the intestines to the blood stream without any “trimming” of glutamate molecules.
03
Folic acid
Folic acid is a compound not found in nature and is derived through chemical synthesis.
Folic acid is biologically inactive and requires transformation within our body to take part in
folate’s essential functions.
Our bodies often do not fully transform synthetic folic acid into its biologically active folate.
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