Vitamin B9, also called folate, is one of the main vitamins needed by our body. During the past years, studies have shown that folate is a pillar in our health and not only for pregnant women as most of us know.
The scientific and medical communities, as well as many key opinion leaders, have also suggested folate supplementation as good support for cardiovascular health, mood enhancement, mild-cognitive impairment, and many more.
Why Quatrefolic is the right choice of folate? Quatrefolic is structurally analogous to the reduced and biologically active form of folate, the 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF). Quatrefolic’s bioavailability is not affected by multi-steps process of conversion and by metabolic defects typical of folic acid and food folate, such as the polymorphism of the enzyme MTHFR (methylentetrahydrofolate reductase).
In fact, some individuals due to their unique genetic patterns and expression, have a polymorphic form of this enzyme and do not produce an adequate effective form of it, with impaired folate metabolism and with potential folate deficiency. These genetic alterations may lead to an increase of homocysteine blood level.
Indeed, Quatrefolic, as the 5-MTHF glucosamine salt is:
- The essential plasma folate form, irrespective of the folate form given or introduced by the diet
- The well absorbed folate form even when gastrointestinal pH is altered
- The folate form that is transported into peripheral tissues to be used for cellular metabolism
- The folate forms able to cross the BBB (blood-brain barrier)
Quatrefolic acts as a nutrient in all areas where folic acid and folate supplementation has been recommended and allowed, providing the benefits to be always effective
Pregnancy
Adequate folate level is primordial for pregnant women. Folate is a cofactor in cell growth, cell division, cell synthesis, and repair of DNA. During pregnancy, folate requirements increase to support embryonic and fetal development, maternal tissue growth, to reduce the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, elevated homocysteine levels, and related adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Choosing the right prenatal vitamins with efficient bioavailability, as guaranteed by the active form of folate like Quatrefolic, means that pregnant women could be sure to receive the right amount of folate, independently by the presence or not of MTHFR polymorphism.
Fertility
Infertility occurs for 48 million couples to 186 million individuals globally.
Women and men with fertility problems may have low folate availability, which is often related to the MTHFR enzyme polymorphism.
For women, folate is indispensable during periods of rapid cell growth and proliferation, which occur during follicular and embryonic development. Insufficient folate status disrupts DNA methylation and integrity, increases blood homocysteine levels, and oxidative stress can be related to the pathogenesis of fertility disorders such as idiopathic infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis.
For men, studies support a positive relation between serum folate concentrations, density, and the regular morphology of sperm.
Folate is essential in spermatogenesis. Indeed, a damaged and poor sperm DNA stability correlated to a low level in semen
Mood
Studies suggest the predominant role of folate deficiency in reducing neurotransmitter production and increasing homocysteine levels. The latter are the main factors in the development of mood disorders and depression. Moreover, the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), cofactor of the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine, is suggested to be directly connected to folate level.
When studied, up to 70% of patients with depression test positive for the polymorphism, rendering folic acid supplements ineffective for helping in depression.
Active Folate, which crosses the blood-brain barrier, appears as the best solution to fight depressive mood and support depression treatment.
Cardiovascular
In the 2015 meta-analysis, Peng H. et al. showed that the elevated homocysteinemia level is an independent predictor for cardiovascular health in the general population. Dysfunction of homocysteine molecular mechanisms increases expression of inflammatory cytokines, altered nitric oxide bioavailability, induction of oxidative stress, activation of apoptosis, and defective methylation. Clinical studies report evidence that folate supplementation can reduce cardiovascular disease risk by lowering Hcy levels.
In a study published, Mazza et al. investigated the efficacy of Quatrefolic (400 µg of Quatrefolic plus B6, and B12) in lowering homocysteine serum levels (HCys) versus a conventional vitamin supplementation with highly dosed folic acid (5 mg/day) in hypertensive subjects at low cardiovascular risk (104 patients with HCys ≥15 µmol/l).
The result shows a significant reduction of HCys level from a baseline of 21.5 µmol/l to 10.0 µmol/l with the product containing Quatrefolic.
The treatment was significantly effective, and the ideal HCys level was reached in 55.8% of the cases in the Quatrefolic group and was significantly higher than in the controls.
Quatrefolic the right choice of folate
Choosing Quatrefolic is making the choice of the best bioavailable folate supplement that will assure you the right level of vitamins B9 your body needs through all your life.
