Why Take Folate for a Healthy Pregnancy?
Taking the steps toward creating a family is a joyous occasion, and it’s important to get off to the right start by nourishing the body with the right nutrients. During pregnancy, expecting mothers need more of certain vitamins and nourishment. As an essential vitamin for good health, water-soluble folate is part of the B-vitamin family. While we need folate throughout our life stages, women especially need it for a healthy pregnancy.* Why? Folate plays an essential role in cell division and DNA synthesis and is involved in human growth and development.*
According to the FDA: “All women of reproductive age should get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day, in addition to consuming food with folate from a varied diet, to help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs are major birth defects of the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).”**
It’s especially important to talk to your healthcare provider about the right type of folate to take for you as an individual. For instance, some people are less able to process regular folic acid, often found in a typical daily multivitamin, into the active form of folate. Folic acid must be transformed in the body to folate to be utilized properly. Some people have a reduced function to transition folic acid to folate, making supplementation with active folate more important in those cases.
This is why NOW® offers Quatrefolic®, a patented form of methylfolate that has demonstrated bioavailability superior to that of folate from dietary sources (more on that below).
Also, those who eat a gluten-free diet may not be getting enough folate because it’s typically found in fortified products like bread and cereals. Talk to your healthcare provider as early as possible in your pregnancy journey or as an expecting mother to identify the right supplements for you.
What Type of Folate Should I Take?
First, you should always start by talking to your healthcare provider when determining what vitamins and supplements to take to empower healthy living, including when pregnant. Next, you should always educate yourself on what you are putting into your body. Not all forms of folic acid or folate are created equal. For instance, methylfolate is the biologically active, naturally occurring form of folate that is used for fundamental body functions.*
NOW® offers the high-quality folate ingredient Quatrefolic®. Quatrefolic® is a patented form of methylfolate that has demonstrated bioavailability superior to that of folate from dietary sources. Methylfolate is the biologically active, naturally occurring form of folate that is used for fundamental body functions like normal cell division and the synthesis of neurotransmitters and DNA.* Unlike regular folic acid, methylfolate has been shown to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, where it helps to support neurological health.*
Methylfolate by Quatrefolic® is perfect for a healthy pregnancy wellness routine.* You will find this superior folate ingredient in our tested and trusted NOW® supplements: Methyl Folate 5,000 mcg Veg Capsules and Methyl Folate 1,000 mcg Tablets.
Quatrefolic® is a registered trademark of Gnosis S.p.A. and protected by U.S. Patent 7,947,662.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
