ConsumerLab seals of approval for supplement with folate

The importance of the consumption of folate to support the body's well-being is now widely recognised and folate definitely represents one of the most common nutritional ingredients used during all stages of life.

Very recently ConsumerLab has published a new report titled "B Vitamin Supplements and Energy Drinks (Including B Complexes, Niacin, B-6, B-12, Biotin, Thiamin, and Folate)" where several finished dietary supplements, commercialised in the US market and containing the (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) - the biological active form of folate - or folic acid, have been tested.

With a long history of certifying supplement, ConsumerLab is the leading provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals to identify the best quality health and nutrition products.

The report mentions the rational use of reduced folate and describes why they are suggested for people with a gene polymorphism of the enzyme MTHFR (methyltetrahydrofolate reductase) that drives to an impairment in the metabolisation of folic acid and folate from food or supplements to (6S)-5MTHF also named L-methylfolate, the active form of folate in the body. According to the data shared by the report, roughly 33% of Americans carry one copy of a common MTHFR gene mutation (C677T). People with two C677T mutations is about 11% of Americans.

Aberrant folate metabolism has adverse effects on human health, including increased risk for birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease , end-stage renal disease, diabetic neuropathy, and CNS disorders such as depression and cognitive impairment (Tsang BL et al. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2015).

Supplements with (6S)-5MTHF, alone or in combination, have been positively tested among the other. They have been promoted by the manufacturer for use by people with this common genetic defect.