What are the differences in bioavailability between folic acid and methylfolate?
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Folic acid and methylfolate have different bioavailabilities. Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate that needs to be converted to its bioactive form, tetrahydrofolate, through several enzymatic reactions and cofactors . On the other hand, methylfolate is already in the bioactive form and can be used directly in one-carbon metabolism . Studies have shown that the bioavailability of methylfolate is higher than that of folic acid . The metabolism of folic acid to tetrahydrofolate is influenced by factors such as the transmembrane transporter reduced folate carrier (RFC) . Additionally, the conversion of folic acid to tetrahydrofolate can be affected by intestinal metabolism . In terms of dietary folate equivalents (DFE), it has been proposed that a conversion factor of 1.7 be used for folic acid and a conversion factor of 2 be used for methylfolate . These differences in bioavailability and conversion factors highlight the importance of considering the form of folate when assessing its effectiveness and impact on health .
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| Papers (4) | Insight |
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| The provided paper does not provide information about the differences in bioavailability between folic acid and methylfolate. | |
| The provided paper does not mention the differences in bioavailability between folic acid and methylfolate. | |
| The paper states that at an intake level of 400 μg/day, methylfolate (5-MTHF) was found to be more bioavailable than folic acid. | |
| The provided paper does not mention the differences in bioavailability between folic acid and methylfolate. The paper focuses on the pharmacokinetics of folic acid and its metabolite, 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-methylTHF), and the impact of circadian rhythms and intestinal metabolism on their bioavailability. |
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