Folic Acid vs. Folate Explained and Simplified

Folic acid vs. folate—which should you be taking? Find out!

DATA:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790187
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23125102/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341306/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crinm/2013/159649/

0:00 Folic acid explained
0:10 Folic acid and pregnancy
1:30 How much vitamin B9 do you need?
2:25 The solution
3:32 Folic acid vs. folate
4:15 How to avoid synthetic folic acid
4:45 The best sources of folate
4:55 Folic acid and vitamin B12
5:53 Learn more about vitamin B12!

Today I’m going to cover folic acid and folate. Are they the same? No, they’re not—and we’re going to talk about why.

Folic acid is the synthetic version of vitamin B9, and folate is the natural version.

Many pregnant women take a supplement that contains folic acid because data shows that it can help prevent neural tube defects. But many people are finding that they have a genetic mutation related to B9, which means there could be a problem if they take folic acid.

This genetic mutation involves an enzyme responsible for converting folic acid into an active form so your body can use it. People with this mutation need more vitamin B9 than usual, but it’s also important that they don’t have too much.

For example, one of the top benefits of vitamin B9 is that it protects against the initiation of cancer. However, excess vitamin B9 is also involved in the initiation of new cancer cells.

The solution is to take a version of vitamin B9 that doesn’t require an enzyme to be converted—making this genetic mutation not a problem anymore.

What we need is more methylfolate. Methylfolate is a type of vitamin B9 that’s easily absorbed and doesn’t require other enzyme reactions like synthetic folic acid does.

Overall, it’s essential to avoid products that contain folic acid and consume more foods that contain natural folate. The best source of natural B9 is dark leafy green vegetables.

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 58, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

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Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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Thanks for watching! I hope this increases your awareness of folic acid vs. folate. I’ll see you in the next video.