Planning for the arrival of a baby is undoubtedly one of the happiest, most chaotic, and confusing moments in a woman’s life. That’s because, at the same time that a whirlwind of changes happens in her body, including emotional changes, you also need to be ready for all the other issues like your own health and the baby’s health. And with so much on your mind, it’s very easy to end up falling for superstitions or incorrect information about what is or isn’t best for pregnancy. To help you with this, today we’re going to talk about the differences between folic acid and methylfolate, explaining what they are, what they are used for, and in which situations they can help a pregnant woman. Want to know more? Read to the end and check it out!
What is Folic Acid?
Folic acid1 is a type of vitamin that is extremely important for our body. It’s responsible for the production of certain proteins, red blood cells, repairing our DNA, maintenance of the nervous and cardiovascular system, and especially for cell division and production. This is one reason why folic acid is recommended for pregnant women; after all, when we’re talking about the growth of a fetus, we’re also talking about the production and growth of cells.
It is recommended that a woman start taking a folic-acid-based supplement about at least 3 months before getting pregnant2. This way, your body is already prepared to take greater care in producing cells and helps ensure the fetus develops properly, especially regarding the nervous system and neural tube formation in the fetus.
Still, it is always important to talk to your doctor before taking any type of supplement. That’s because you need to be sure that your body won’t react unexpectedly, or if you could have an overdose of the vitamin, which could even be bad for the baby. So, pay attention to these details too.
One of its main advantages is that folate can be found naturally in several foods, such as:
- Orange
- Lemon
- Beans
- Chickpeas
- Banana
- Mango
- Liver
- Watercress
- Kale
- Whole grains
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Egg
Of course, each food has more or less folate, and each body can ingest them differently. However, in general, eating all these foods listed above can help a woman with folate, in addition to all the other benefits they also have.
Although they are not directly related to pregnancy, we think it’s important to list other benefits that folic acid can bring. That’s because all those we list here end up also helping the baby’s development during pregnancy, even if indirectly. These benefits are:
- Boosts immunity
- Good for hair and nails
- Strengthens bones
- Good for the heart
- Important for the nervous system
Let’s talk about each of them in more depth so that you can better understand how they might benefit a pregnant woman and her baby.
Boosts immunity
When you are pregnant, the body undergoes huge transformations, which can make a woman’s immunity drop. This is bad in many ways, but mainly because a more serious illness can also affect the baby. Folic acid, or folate, is essential for keeping a person’s immune system strong. For this reason, its use is very beneficial in this sense. Of course, in addition to it, many B complex vitamins and others are also essential for boosting immunity.
Good for hair and nails
Taking folic acid also helps keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy. This means it helps reduce problems such as acne, dry skin, brittle hair, and weak nails, among many others. During pregnancy, your health and appearance are very important for maintaining your self-esteem, so folic acid is a big help in this area too.
Strengthens bones
Folic acid is one of the main allies when we talk about preventing bone problems. For this reason, it is one of the most important nutrients for the healthy development of a baby.
Good for the heart
This is another great benefit of folic acid. Recent studies have shown that it helps lower homocysteine, a type of amino acid that, in excess, can cause problems like blood clots, for example. This is good for both the mother and the baby.
Important for the nervous system
One of the most important factors for the development of the nervous system and, therefore, the baby’s brain, is exactly folic acid. In addition, it is essential for the baby’s cognitive and emotional development, making intake of this vitamin even more important.
What is Methylfolate?
Now that you better understand what folic acid is, we can finally talk about what methylfolate3 is. Many people think they are the same thing. So, first of all, it’s important to explain the difference between the two.
Methylfolate is the form of folic acid that is best absorbed by the body, that is, after taking folic acid, we need to convert it into methylfolate for it to perform its functions. Some people have a polymorphism in the enzyme that makes this conversion, and therefore need to supplement with methylfolate. Although most vitamin supplements present folic acid in its most common version, it is becoming easier to find the methylfolate version—this synthetic version was created so that our bodies can absorb 100% of its nutrients.
Which one should you use?
After understanding exactly what folic acid is, what methylfolate is, and what the differences between them are, it’s common for you to have doubts about which one to use and which is best for you. In general, since most people do not know if they have this polymorphism in folic acid conversion, the recommendation is to use methylfolate to meet all your body’s needs during pregnancy.
Studies show that about 10% of women cannot properly absorb the folic acid found in food. In these cases, therefore, it’s recommended to use methylfolate, since it is a product that does not require our bodies to metabolize the vitamin.
With this in mind, many companies such as Famivita provide methylfolate to help these women replenish the vitamin.
Conclusion
Understanding exactly what folic acid or methylfolate is also means taking better care of your pregnancy. As we said earlier, many women believe these are vitamins that help with fertility or that they are hormone stimulants. When you research and understand the role of each vitamin that can help your pregnancy, you not only ensure better health for you and the baby, but also more calm and peace of mind to think about these matters. And in moments when emotions are running high, this is essential.
