Folic Acid is a synthetic form of Vit B9 and used to enrich foods.
It was originally thought that folic Acid was a safe replacement for folate. It turns out that the body cannot use it ,and cannot convert it to 5 Methyl Tetra Hydro Folate the
final product of folate.
In fact, it appears that to the contrary, it inhibits the tremendous amount of functions that Folate Full fills.
Folate comes from foliage: vegetable greens, the source of folate.
It is not usable by the body and has to be modified in the small intestine by the gut flora in order to be absorbed, then transformed in to 5 Methyl Tetra Hydro Folate (5MTHF) in the liver.
All these stages require many cofactors such as Vit B 1,3,5,6 and Zinc.
5MTHF works in tandem with VIT B12 to produce SAME which is responsible for over two hundred functions of regeneration such as the production and repair of DNA, the production of red cells ,removing excess histamine, the production of bile Acids, the production of melatonin for sleep ,detoxification processes such a methylation , transculturation ….
Folate is indispensable to produce serotonin (produced mainly in the gut and tracks in to the brain via the Vagus nerve) and dopamine both these neurotransmitters impact on our moods and drive us to accomplish things in our daily lives.
A rare condition often find in Autistic children is a block to Folate receptors: Folate receptors antibodies.
This shows the impact of the gut on the mood and the general behavior, and how severe gut dysbiosis can affect the mood.
The prescribed forms of folate are Folinic Acid and 5MTHF.
Folinic Acid is recommended when new tissues require repair as it stimulates the production of new DNA in the cells.