What Is Methylfolate? The Folate Form Your Blood Already Carries

Methylfolate is the form of folate your blood already carries. You'll also see it on labels as L-methylfolate or 5-MTHF. Folate is vitamin B9, and your body needs it to copy DNA every time a cell divides, including the red cells your bone marrow makes every day.

Most people have never heard the word until a doctor, a gene test or a supplement shelf puts it in front of them. Then the questions start. Is it the same as folate? Is it the same as B12? What does MTHFR have to do with it? Here are the plain answers, and the one thing most labels leave out.

Is methylfolate the same as folate?

It's one form of it. "Folate" is the family name for vitamin B9. The folate in leafy greens, beans and other foods comes in several forms, and your body changes them, step by step, into methylfolate. MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine's health site, calls methylfolate the main form of folate in the blood.

So when you take methylfolate, you're taking the form those steps would have ended with.

What are L-methylfolate, 5-MTHF and calcium L-methylfolate?

On a label, the same thing can go by different names:

• L-methylfolate: the active "L" form of methylfolate.
• 5-MTHF: short for 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the scientific name.
• Calcium L-methylfolate: methylfolate bound to calcium. It's the form in our drops.

If you see one of these, you're looking at the form your blood already carries.

What is MTHFR, and why does it matter?

MTHFR is the enzyme that does the last step in turning food folate into methylfolate. It's also the name of the gene that makes that enzyme.

Variants of the MTHFR gene are common and can make that last step slower. According to MedlinePlus Genetics, about 10 to 15 percent of white people in North America and about 25 percent of Hispanic people carry two copies of the most common variant.

If that's you, methylfolate gives you the form at the end of the line, already made.

Is B12 the same as methylfolate?

No. Methylfolate is folate (vitamin B9). B12 is a different vitamin. But they're partners in the same step, and that's the part most labels leave out.

Your blood carries folate in a locked form, as methylfolate. B12 is the key that opens it so your cells can use it. Without B12, folate gets stuck, a problem known as the methylfolate trap. New red cells can't copy their DNA on time, so they keep growing and come out too big. On a blood test, that shows up as a high MCV. How the methylfolate trap works.

What are the signs of low folate?

When folate runs short, red cells come out too big and fewer of them work well. People often notice:

• Tiredness and weakness that sleep doesn't fix.
• Getting out of breath on stairs or short walks.
• Pale skin.
• A sore, red or smooth tongue, or sore spots in the mouth.

Many of these overlap with low B12 and low iron, so a blood test is the only way to know which. What a high MCV on your blood test means.

Who should not take methylfolate without asking a doctor?

• Anyone on prescription medicines, especially for seizures, arthritis or cancer, since some change how your body handles folate.
• Anyone pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Anyone who hasn't had their B12 checked. Folate on its own can tidy up a blood count while a B12 shortage carries on underneath.

Some people also find methyl vitamins leave them feeling wired at first. If that's you, mention it to your doctor.

Why we pair methylfolate with B12

Because methylfolate needs its key, RevitalGlow Red Cell Builder Drops carry both in the same drop: calcium L-methylfolate and methylcobalamin, a natural, cyanide-free B12 your cells turn into both working forms. Two active ingredients, plus organic glycerin, purified water and organic berry flavor. You take 10 berry droplets a day, under your tongue or in a cool drink. 5 label checks before you buy any methylfolate.

Questions people ask

Is methylfolate better than folate from food?
Food folate matters, and leafy greens and beans are worth eating. Methylfolate is the form your body ends up with after the conversion steps, which helps if those steps run slowly.

Should I get an MTHFR test?
Ask your doctor. Many people never test. The form you take and getting enough B12 alongside it matter either way.

Can I get methylfolate from food?
Your body makes it from the folate in food. See 7 daily habits for healthy red cells for the foods.