Let's Clear Up The Confusion:
Folic Acid versus Bioactive Folate
Even if your daily diet doesn't include 6-8 servings of fresh
fruits and vegetables, you can still give your body the form
of folate it prefers most. HS Fighters Active B Vitamins™
are made with BioActive Folate™
(an ingredient so unique, it's patented) --- the naturally
occurring active form of folate you get every time you eat
green leafy vegetables. Understanding the difference between
Folic Acid and Bioactive Folate is important, so please continue
reading...
Are You Converting Folic Acid to Active Folate?
Folic acid is often labeled folate or folicin. However, none of these are the
active form of folate (known as 5-MTHF or l-methylfolate) your body
can absorb and put to work. It takes four separate biochemical reactions
for your body to turn folic acid into active folate:
Absorption and conversion are critical. It is a shortage of active
folate (and not folic acid, folate or folicin) that has been linked
to neural tube birth defects in babies, vascular plaque, heart disease,
depression, memory loss, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoporosis.
Medical studies have proven that the conversion of folic acid into active folate is frequently disrupted by genetic factors, age-related problems and metabolic obstacles.1,2
- Up to 40% of adults are affected by genetic flaws that limit the amount of folic acid converted to the active folate that neutralizes homocysteine.3-10
- Transformation of folic acid into active folate falls off after ingesting 200 mcg, and is saturated at doses in the region of 400 mcg. Higher doses result in unabsorbed folic acid circulating in the blood, and we do not know the long term biological effects of a lifetime of exposure to unmodified synthetic folate.1,10
Take More Folic Acid?
Some people try to overcome the obstacles to absorbing and transforming folic acid by taking doses of 800 mcgs, or higher. Studies show transformation of folic acid into active folate falls off after ingesting 200 mcg, and is saturated at doses in the region of 400 mcg. And when folic acid fails to be converted to active folate it remains in the bloodstream for days, even weeks at a time.1,10 Medical researchers are now investigating whether "unused" folic acid in the bloodstream actually blocks the absorption of folate from natural sources such as green leafy vegetables.
Conclusion
If testing your blood and cell tissue to confirm your active folate status
doesn't thrill you, here's an intelligent alternative: let
your body bypass the four-step conversion of folic acid by
giving your body the exact form of folate it prefers and can
immediately absorb -- the BioActive Folate in HS Fighters
Active B Vitamins™.
The decision to exclude folic acid from the HS Fighters
Active B VitaminsT formula, in favor of high-absorption
BioActive Folate™,
was made for these key reasons:
- BioActive Folate™
is the naturally occurring form of folate your body prefers
- BioActive Folate™
bypasses obstacles to absorbing folic acid and does not
accumulate in the blood like folic acid
- BioActive Folate™
is so unique, the ingredient is protected under law by a
U.S. Patent (as Metafolin®)
- BioActive Folate™
has been safety tested as a dietary ingredient and registered
with the FDA (as Metafolin®)
- BioActive Folate™
is produced by a world leader in folate nutrition
References
1 Kelly P, McPartlin J, Goggins M, Weir DG, Soctt
JM. Unmetabolozed folic acid in serum: acute studies in subjects consuming
fortified food and supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;65:1790-5>
2 Morita H, Taguchi J, Kurihara H, Kitaoka M, Kaneda H, Kurihara Y,
Maemura K, Shindo T, Minamino T, Ohno M, Yamaoki K, Ogasawara K, Aizawa
T, Suzuki S, Yakazi Y. Genetic polymorphism of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase (MTHFR) as a risk factor of coronary artery disease. Circulation
95:2032-2036, 1997.
3 Goyette P, Christensen B, Rosenblatt DS, Rozen
R. Severe and mild mutations in cis for the methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase (MTHFR0 gene, and description of 5 novel mutations in MTHFR.
Am. J. Hum. Genet. 59:1268-1275, 1996.
4 Bailey LB,Gregory JF. Polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and other enzymes: metabolic significance, risks and impact on folate requirement. J Nutr 1999;129(5):919-22.
5 Deloughery TG, Evans A, Sadeghi A, et al. Common mutation in methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase. Correlation with homocysteine metabolism and late-onset
vascular disease. Circulation 1996;94(12):3074-78.
6 Kim YI. Methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase polymorphisms, folate, and cancer risk: a paradigm of gene-nutrient
interactions in carcinogenesis. Nutr Rev 2000;58:205-17.
7 Choi S-W,
Mason JB. Folate and carcinogenesis: an integrated scheme. J Nutr
2000;130:129-32.
8 Ma J, Stampfer MJ, Hennekens CH, et al. Methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase polymorphism, plasma folate, homocysteine, and risk of myocardial
infarction in US physicians. Circulation 1996;94(10):2410-16.
9 Miyao
M, Morita H, Hosoi T, et al. Association of methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase(MTHFR) polymorphism with bone mineral density in postmenopausal
Japanese women. Calcif Tissue Int 2000;66:190-94.
10 Lucock MD, Wild
J, Smithells R, Hartley R. Invivo characterization of the absorption
and biotransformation of pteroylglutamic acid in man: a model for
future studies. Biochem Med Metaab Biol 1989;42:30-42.
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