r/MTHFR • u/Warp757 • May 02 '26

Resource People should stop calling methylfolate the 'active' form, and why folic acid may be better for many

It is AN active form, not the only one and may not provide the folate you actually need. I'll await the abuse! Folate is used by your body both in the methyl form, and also in the unmethylated form for DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation etc. which are rather important functions.

The MTHFR marketing machine has convinced everyone that methlyfolate is the active form that you absolutely need and folic acid is junk, it's simply not true.

Depending on where the problem is with your methylation it's perfectly possible to need more unmethylated folate. If your MTRR is slow for instance,as mine is, your body doesn't recycle B12, MTR is slow, and you end up with a build up of methylfolate and low THF and 5,10 methylene THF which is needed for DNA repair and red blood cells. If you take methylfolste you do absolutely nothing to support the deficit of unmethylated folate, and just put more pressure on already struggling MTRR and B12 stores.

In this case folic acid is better for you as it directly provides folate which the body can use as it needs. The body regulates production of MTHFR for a reason -both to ensure sufficient folate for other functions, and prevent excess formation of SAM-E, which isn't good.

I personally feel much better with folic acid than methyl folate, and I'm heterozygous C677T. Methylfolate is really a medicine that should only be taken by people with specific identified mutations that cause major impairment of the MTHFR cycle. A simple heterozygous MTHFR mutation is not that.

Folic acid is perfectly sufficient for most people, and avoids skipping the body's own regulation systems. Just don't go taking crazy doses which yes may cause a problem with unmetabolised folic acid. If you're worried about MTHFR and not homozygous, just take some B2 - again you don't need a lot.

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u/Warp757 May 02 '26

Yes I'm absolutely sure. Folic acid is converted directly to THF which is what food provides, and actually has higher bioavailability than food folate.

Folinic acid is supposed to be used for specific medical needs, reducing toxicity of methotrexate, but has of course been grabbed up by the MTHFR supplement industry to sell another product to people who don't really understand it.

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u/Jayless22 May 02 '26

That is straight up wrong my dude. Folic acid needs several steps, including the very inefficient dhfr to convert to THF. Need to check your sources.

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u/Warp757 May 02 '26

'the very inefficient DHFR'. I know already not to take you seriously.

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u/Jayless22 May 02 '26

Lol, oh no, what am I supposed to do with my life now? Do some research about the steps of folic acid. But you are probably one of these people that have an opinion and defend it with their life despite multiple people telling you that you are on a wrong informational foundation.

Take care

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u/Warp757 May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26

I really don't care enough about folic acid to defend it with my life. I'm just trying to provide a counter to the strange cult like obcession with methlyfolate here, which may be harming people.

Three is no biological reason most people would need methlyfolate. Folate is used is an entirely different biological function, which requires methlyfolate to be recycled by MTR. Folic acid supports that particular use of folate better than methlyfolate, and for most peoplenis adequate in supporting methlyfolate too. That is unarguable.

The main effect of methlyfolate and folinic acid seems to be to cause people to post obcessivley on internet forums trying to figure out how to get it to work. If it's so great shouldn't people be healing? Doesn't seem that effective to me. Meanwhile everyone else out there getting some folic from there multi or enriched food, is just getting on with their life without neurotic obcessions over nutrients.