Folic acid and folate are two different forms of vitamin B9. While they're a part of the same nutrient family, they're not interchangeable, and it's important to understand the differences between them when you're trying to plan for a healthy pregnancy.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOLATE AND FOLIC ACID

Folate is a water-soluble vitamin also referred to as "folacin" or "vitamin B9." It is the natural form of vitamin B9, mostly found in food. You can get folate from diets rich in dark green leafy vegetables, legumes (e.g., beans and lentils), citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, eggs, asparagus, eggs, nuts, and beets.

Folic acid is the synthetic (man-made) form of folate. After you ingest folic acid, your body mobilizes specialized enzymes to convert the synthetic folate to its biologically active form (5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-MTHF). This conversion of folic acid to its biologically active form requires a major enzyme known as methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR).

So, while folic acid supplements get a lot of buzz as a prenatal must-have, folic acid may not be the most ideal form of folate for people with a genetic variation that makes it difficult to process. This is why we opt for the active form of folate as 5-MTHF when formulating your personalized supplement program. 
 

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLATE

Folate is highly important for DNA methylation (a process related to gene expression) and red blood cell formation. Folate helps your body make healthy new cells and plays an important role in producing DNA and RNA, the body's genetic material. Adequate levels of folate are also crucial for cell division and growth during pregnancy.

More than that, folate deficiency has been linked with several disorders, such as birth defects (particularly neural tube defects), heart disease, some types of cancer, and stroke. Folate is necessary during pregnancy, particularly in the early stages, supporting neural tube development into their brain and spine. This is why, for many years, folate has been recommended for pregnant women as a way to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects in their developing baby.

Neural tube defects resulting from a deficiency of folic acid usually occur within the first month of pregnancy. This means that these defects usually happen to fetuses whose mothers have inadequate levels of folate before most become aware that they are even pregnant. Therefore, it is medically advised that women of childbearing age who are looking to getting pregnant take a minimum of 400 mcg of folate per day for about three months before the time they plan to get pregnant (commonly referred to as prenatal). This should be continued during the pregnancy and for a few months after birth (postnatal) because adequate folate levels have also been found to improve the mother's mood during pregnancy and prevent postpartum depression.
 

WHY IS FOLIC ACID COMMONLY RECOMMENDED

Folic acid is a commonly recommended form of folate supplementation because it is shelf-stable and cost effective. This is why the FDA mandates that some food items be fortified with folic acid, e.g., bread, rice, pasta, cereals, and other grain products. The outcome of the 1998 mandated fortification of grains with folic acid resulted in a 35% decrease in the incidence of children born with neural tube defects (anencephaly and spina bifida). Because of its popularity, you are likely more familiar with the term “folic acid” than “folate.”

With that said, many prenatal multivitamins on the market today only use the synthetic form of folate, folic acid. Due to the popularity of folic acid as an ingredient in foods, many pregnancy supplementation studies have relied on data regarding folic acid, not folate. 
 

FOLIC ACID VS. FOLATE (5-MTHF) IN PREGNANCY

Does the difference between these two vitamin forms make any difference? The short answer is, yes. According to research, about one-third of American adults have MTHFR deficiency—a deficiency of the enzyme required to convert folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) to its biologically active form. 

Therefore, a significant percentage of people are still at risk when solely taking folic acid and folic acid-containing supplements before and during pregnancy. And that's not all. Since folic acid is also important in the formation of red blood cells, a lack of folate can lead to folate-deficiency anemia and possible DNA alterations. There is also a chance that those with either excess intake of folic acid or the genetic variation may be prone to excess of unconverted folic acid in their bodies.

Further, the FDA explains that “the diet/disease relationship is more accurately described as being related to all of the biologically active vitamin forms of folate rather than just to the synthetic form of the vitamin (i.e., folic acid).” 

So what should you take from this? The priority should be on increased intake of folate, maintaining adequate levels of folate in the body, with methylated folate as the premier version. 

OUR APPROACH TO FOLATE SUPPLEMENTS

Folate, obtained naturally through food or supplementation, is the form of vitamin B9 recognized by the human body. Synthetic folate (commonly referred to as folic acid) is first converted to folate as 5-MTHF before the body can use it. 

At Honed, our unique formulation supplies folate in its readily available form as methylfolate, the active form of folate. Supporting all important NADPH synthesis, required for detoxification and tissue repair, it also works synergistically with vitamin B12 to support digestion, red blood cell formation (and the prevention of anemia), and neurological function. Our unique bio-coenzymated formula is combined with an organic whole food blend of land and sea vegetables, producing a synergistic phytochemical formula that delivers the most metabolically active nutrients to your cells.