Contents：
What is the Folic acid?
Functions of Folic acid
What is the L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF)?
Why can the L-5-MTHF be super upgrade of folic acid?
Effepharm’s L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium (L-5-MTHF-Ca)
Reference
What is the Folic acid?
Folate and folic acid are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. Put it simply, folic acid is a kind of vitamin which is necessary for our body. Usually, Folate occurs naturally in food, and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), okra, asparagus, fruits (such as bananas, melons, and lemons) beans, yeast, mushrooms, meat (such as beef liver and kidney), orange juice, and tomato juice.
Functions of Folic acid
With wide range of applications, Firstly, Folic acid is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folate (folate deficiency), as well as its complications, including “tired blood” (anemia) and the inability of the bowel to absorb nutrients properly. Secondly, Folic acid is also used for other conditions commonly associated with folate deficiency, including ulcerative colitis, liver disease, alcoholism, and kidney dialysis. Besides, some people use folic acid to prevent colon cancer or cervical cancer. It is also used to prevent heart disease and stroke, as well as to reduce blood levels of a chemical called homocysteine, as high homocysteine levels might be a risk for heart disease.
Folic acid is also used for memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, age-related hearing loss, preventing the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reducing signs of aging, weak bones (osteoporosis), jumpy legs (restless leg syndrome), sleep problems, depression, nerve pain, muscle pain, AIDS, a skin disease called vitiligo, and an inherited disease called Fragile-X syndrome. It is also used for reducing harmful side effects of treatment with the medications lometrexol and methotrexate.
There is a large body of evidence to suggest that improving periconceptional folate status reduces the risk of neonatal neural tube defects. Thus increased folate intake is now recommended before and during the early stages of pregnancy, through folic acid supplements or fortified foods. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that folic acid may have a role in the prevention of other diseases, including dementia and certain types of cancer.
As far as I claimed above, you may ask that Folic acid is so powerful, why should we intake the L-5-MTHF?
The reason is that Folic acid is a synthetic form of the vitamin, which is only found in fortified foods, supplements and pharmaceuticals. Folic acid lacks coenzyme activity and must be reduced to the metabolically active tetrahydrofolate form within the cell.
What is the L-5-MTHF?
L-5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (L-5-methyl-THF) is the predominant form of dietary folate and the only species normally found in the circulation, and hence it is the folate that is normally transported into peripheral tissues to be used for cellular metabolism. L-5-methyl-THF is also available commercially as a crystalline form of the calcium salt (Metafolin(R)), which has the stability required for use as a supplement. Studies comparing L-5-methyl-THF and folic acid have found that the two compounds have comparable physiological activity, bio-availability and absorption at equimolar doses.
Bio-availability studies have provided strong evidence that L-5-methyl-THF is at least as effective as folic acid in improving folate status, as measured by blood concentrations of folate and by functional indicators of folate status, such as plasma homocysteine. Intake of L-5-methyl-THF may have advantages over intake of folic acid. First, the potential for masking the haematological symptoms of vitamin B(12) deficiency may be reduced with L-5-methyl-THF. Second, L-5-methyl-THF may be associated with a reduced interaction with drugs that inhibit dihydrofolate reductase.
Why can the L-5-MTHF be super upgrade of folic acid?
As L-5-methyltetrahydrofolateis the predominant form of folate in the circulation, Of course, it has all the functions and benefits of folic acid. However, L-5-MTHF has its important advantages.
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Well absorbed even when gastrointestinal pH changes
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Higher bio-availability and less affection by metabolic defects. The use of L-5-MTHF to replace folic acid in treating MTHFR reduces potential of masking haematological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, reduces interactions with medications inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase, prevents formation of unmetabolised folic acid in blood circulation, and overcomes metabolic defects caused by MTHFR polymorphism.
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Beneficial in treating severe depression and diabetic neuropathy
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For pregnant women and fetal health Supports healthy heart and nerve function
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Supports healthy cardiovascular support
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Prevents Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
Therefore, L-5-MTHF is your better supplement choice.
Effepharm’s L-5-MTHF-Ca
Under Effepharm's IDS® platform, Effepharm’s L-5-MTHF-Ca is excellent with higher bio-availability and more advantages.
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Our product is L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium CAS#151533-22-1, which is USP standard and stable for storing. In the market, you can find that the price is for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium CAS# 26560-38-3 (the blend of 50% L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium and 50% D-5-methyltetrahydrofolate Calcium), which is cheaper and not meet USP standard. They are not the same product.
For more details, please consult with our sales team.
Reference：
https://mthfrsupport.com.au/2015/05/folic-acid-vs-5-mthf-debate/
https://www.dietvsdisease.org/l-methylfolate-5-mthf/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NulhJMN4wks
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20608755
https://selfhacked.com/blog/l-methylfolate-health-benefits/
http://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1225-2