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Folate is one of the eight B vitamins and is essential for health. The name comes from the Latin folium, meaning "leaf", because green leafy vegetables are a key dietary source. Folate plays important roles in the body, including in DNA synthesis and repair, cell division, and the methylation reactions the body uses constantly.
Folate contributes to normal blood formation, to normal amino acid synthesis, to normal psychological function, to the normal function of the immune system, and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It also has a role in the process of cell division. During pregnancy, folate contributes to normal maternal tissue growth.
One of the best-established findings in nutrition is the role of folate around conception and early pregnancy. UK health advice is that women who are trying to conceive, and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, should take a daily supplement providing 400 micrograms of folate or folic acid, alongside a folate-rich diet. If you're pregnant or planning to be, follow NHS guidance and speak to your midwife or GP.
Folate is found in a range of everyday foods:
The Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) for folate is 200mcg per day for the general population.
Folate occurs in a few different forms, and this is where supplement choices matter. The form found naturally in the body and in food is already metabolically active — it doesn't need processing before your cells can use it.
Folic acid, by contrast, is the synthetic form used in most supplements and in fortified foods. It has to be converted into the active form before the body can use it. This conversion happens through several enzyme steps, with the final step carried out by an enzyme produced by the MTHFR gene.
Methylfolate (L-5-MTHF) is the active form. Because it's already active, it bypasses the conversion steps entirely.
Two common variations in the MTHFR gene, known as C677T and A1298C, reduce how efficiently the body converts folic acid into active folate. These variants are common in the general population. It's worth keeping this in proportion: having an MTHFR variant is not a disease or a diagnosis, and even reduced-function enzymes still convert folic acid — just more slowly.
What it means in practice is that supplying folate already in its active methylfolate form removes that conversion step as a variable. There's also some evidence that very high folic acid intake — from supplements plus fortified foods — can lead to unmetabolised folic acid appearing in the blood, which methylfolate avoids. This is why we use methylfolate (as L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate) rather than folic acid: it's a more direct, reliable way of raising folate that works regardless of genetics.
You can read more about active vitamin forms in our companion article, Active forms explained.
This article is general information and not medical advice. If you're pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or have a health condition, speak to your GP, midwife or pharmacist.
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