What is the difference between folic acid, folate and methylfolate?
Vitamin B9 is typically referred to as folic acid or folate, the synthetic form found in fortified foods and many vitamin supplements or the form that naturally occurs in foods, respectively.
Yet, to be utilized effectively in the body, both the synthetic and most of the food-derived folate we consume must be converted via a natural enzyme pathway in our body to the final bioactive form called L-methylfolate (also known as 5-MTHF). It is at this time, when MTHF is created, that “active B9” can enter cells and cross over the blood brain barrier to help nourish our tissues and brains optimally.