How to ensure sufficient folic acid intake in pregnancy

How to ensure sufficient folic acid intake in pregnancy?

Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients in pregnancy because it is essential for healthy fetal development. It is also sometimes referred to as vitamin B9, folate or methyl folate. What are the differences between these terms and what form of folic acid is best for pregnant women?

What is folic acid, folate, and methyl folate?

Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy is a well-known problem that most women are aware of. The common question still is, if women should take folate or folic acid for pregnancy. What is the difference?

Folate is a collective term for various compounds that have the effect of vitamin B9. Folic acid then refers to the synthetic, water-soluble form of B9 vitamin. And what is the difference between folic acid and so-called methyl folate?

Folic acid: Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate that is commonly found in processed foods, prenatal vitamins, and dietary supplements.
Methyl folate: Methyl folate, also known as L-methylfolate, 5-MTHF or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, is the biologically active form of folate. This form of folic acid is highly absorbable by the body.

What are the advantages of methyl folate over folic acid?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), methyl folate is more absorbable for more people than folic acid. For folic acid intake to be effective, it must be in an active form, a form that the body can use immediately.

The process of absorption of folic acid in a human body, which is rather slow.

The inactive form of folic acid must first be converted or methylated by the liver to be usable by the body. However, since the liver converts folic acid rather slowly, the inactive forms of folic acid may be rapidly eliminated from the body. Thus, when taking the inactive form of folic acid, you may become deficient in folic acid even if you maintain your daily dose.

Fortunately, however, there is an active form, namely methyl folate, which is immediately available to the body.

Active methyl folate in dietary supplements Mabelle

For example, the active form of folic acid, methyl folate, is contained in Mabelle dietary supplements, which are designed to meet the nutrient requirements of the body during pregnancy. The composition of these food supplements corresponds to the body's requirements at different stages of pregnancy.

Why is folic acid essential in pregnancy?

Folic acid is essential for DNA and RNA synthesis, which allows cell division for healthy fetal development. Research has concluded that women who consumed foods high in folate as well as folic acid supplements during pregnancy reduced their risk of having a baby with a birth defect of the brain or spinal cord.

Happy woman after giving birth, holding the healthy baby in her hands.

Best time to start taking folic acid is when planning pregnancy. Therefore, the FDA mandated in 1998 that all flour products in the USA be fortified with folic acid. According to studies, this led to a 36% reduction in the number of babies born with neural tube defects. However, decades later, it was found that pregnant women were still not getting enough folic acid, and in many cases, they had to resort to supplements.

How to get much needed folic acid in pregnancy?

Natural folate is found in many foods, led by leafy greens, beetroot, and broccoli. But it is also found in, for example, chicken liver, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

During pregnancy, the need for folic acid is twice as high, so even a proper diet may not be sufficient. It is therefore important for pregnant women to take good quality supplements containing active methyl folate. You don’t need to worry about taking too much folic acid during pregnancy – excess folic acid is simply excreted in urine.

Sources

Food supplement

0 reviews

mabelle 3 · PREGNANCY

Provides your body with important substances that your body needs specifically from the second trimester (starting from … read more [+]

Provides your body with important substances that your body needs specifically from the second trimester (starting from 13. week) until the end  of your pregnancy. Supports your health  and a healthy development of your baby. 

Supplementation with folic acid is recommended to all women during pregnancy to reach a protective folate level in order to reduce risk factor of baby’s neural tube defects and supplementation with DHA supports your baby´s brain development.

LEARN MORE