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Human Nutrition and Metabolism

The Short-Term Bioavailabilities of [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate and Folic Acid Are Equivalent in Men¹

Kristina Pentieva², Helene McNulty, Rebecca Reichert, Mary Ward, J. J. Strain, Derek J. McKillop, Joseph M. McPartlin, Edel Connolly, Anne Molloy, Klaus Krämer^** and John M. Scott

Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA; Department of Biochemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland; and ^** BASF AG, 67 056 Ludwigshafen, Germany

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: K.Pentieva{at}ulster.ac.uk.

The natural folate derivative, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate ([6S]-5-MTHF), could be an option for supplementation and fortification but its bioavailability remains unclear. This study compared the bioavailability of [6S]-5-MTHF with that of folic acid (FA) by measuring plasma folate responses after a single ingestion of equivalent doses of the two folate forms. In a double-blind, crossover study, 13 men (presaturated with FA) received in random order each of the following treatments administered orally at 1-wk intervals: 1) placebo capsule; 2) 500 µg FA capsule; and 3) 500 µg [6S]-5-MTHF capsule. Plasma total folate concentrations were measured before and up to 10 h after each treatment (n = 10 samples per treatment). Plasma folate concentrations increased significantly (compared with baseline) from 0.5 to 5 h after both folate treatments. The maximum plasma folate response did not differ between the two treatments (mean ± SEM, 33.4 ± 3.9 vs. 31.8 ± 3.9 nmol/L, P = 0.7, for FA and [6S]-5-MTHF, respectively) and typically occurred in individuals between 0.5 and 3 h postprandially. The area under the plasma folate response curve was significantly greater after both folate treatments compared with placebo, and the response did not differ between the treatments. These results indicate that the short-term bioavailabilities of [6S]-5-MTHF and FA are equivalent. Supplementation with the natural folate derivative could have all the beneficial effects associated with FA, but without the potential disadvantage of masking the anemia of vitamin B-12 deficiency.

KEY WORDS: • [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate • folic acid • plasma folate • short-term folate bioavailability

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