High Methylfolate Foods

Folate - especially methylfolate - plays a vital role in your overall health and wellbeing.

But can you get it from food?

This article will discuss the specific foods high in methylfolate or folate, and how food sources compare to supplements. We will also explain why L-methylfolate supplementation may be vital for people with MTHFR and how to find the best methylfolate supplement.

Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin (B9) and one of the most essential nutrients for healthy cognition, cardiovascular function, mood, and fertility.

Dietary folate refers to a group of related compounds, including dihydrofolate, methylfolate, monoglutamyl folates, and polyglutamyl folates. Most food folates are in polyglutamyl forms of tetrahydrofolate, which must be broken down by the body before it can be used.

To absorb and use this form of folate, the body uses enzymes to remove the extra glutamate residues, turning the polyglutamyl folate into a simpler form known as monoglutamate folate (a folate molecule with only one glutamate attached). Once absorbed, folate is converted into methylfolate (L-MTHF), which is the predominant form found in circulation and used by cells¹. This is why methylfolate is often referred to as the body's main active form of folate, even though the folates in food start in more complex forms.

Dietary folates are in a reduced state, which means they are less stable and can degrade easily with heat, light, and storage. Canning, freezing, or home-cooking can also deplete food of folate. Steaming retains more folate compared to other methods like boiling or frying.

Although the most efficient and convenient way to increase your methylfolate levels is with a supplement, eating folate-rich foods still has its benefits. Natural forms of folate support folate levels while providing nutritional cofactors involved in the methylation process.

Folate content in these foods is made up of multiple forms, including dihydrofolate, tetrahydrofolate, and methylfolate. Foods like spinach, legumes, and liver are high in folate, but the majority of folate in food exists as polyglutamyl folates (mostly tetrahydrofolate derivatives). These must be broken down into monoglutamyl forms before absorption.

Dietary folate is then converted into methylfolate (L-5-MTHF) in the body, because this is the form used in circulation and for key biochemical processes (like methylation).

Methylfolate (L-5-MTHF) is present in food, particularly in leafy greens, legumes, and liver.

A study analyzing 67 varieties of spinach found that the total folate content ranged from 54.1 to 173.2 mcg/100 g. The most abundant form of folate was methylfolate, accounting for approximately 52% of the total folate content.²

Eggs contain good amounts of folate, but the folate is mainly in the form of polyglutamyl tetrahydrofolate, which must be converted to the active methylfolate form in the body. Around  95% of egg folate is found in the yolk.³

Lactic acid fermentation increases the bioavailability of folates, including methylfolate. A Swedish study found that among 10 different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures, one mixture was able to almost double the folate concentration of grated and blanched root vegetables, mainly beetroots and turnips.  After the fermentation process, the vegetables contained high amounts of methylfolate.

Research also suggests that the fermentation process replaces the B-vitamin content that is lost in cooking or heating. A Polish study found that folate content more than doubled during fermentation due to the microbial activity that occurs when sourdough ferments.  The traditional Indian dish idli, for example, is a steam-fermented dough made of rice and black chickpeas. During the fermentation process, the folate content of idli may increase by almost 60%.⁴

Although supplements should not replace food, there are many reasons that a supplement can better provide the nutrients that a balanced diet cannot.

Many fruits and vegetables today are grown and processed in a way that depletes their nutritional content. One study found that the nutritional content for 43 different vegetables and fruits had declined significantly in the past half-century, which was believed to be due to agricultural practices designed to improve size, growth rate, and pest resistance.  In addition, water-soluble vitamins are especially vulnerable to processing and cooking.

As a result, many plant foods will not actually be an adequate or reliable source of folate, especially for people who have heightened needs for folate.

In addition, these foods must first be processed by the digestive system before nutrients can be obtained. If digestion is hindered or weak, the amount of folate absorbed in the gut will be reduced even further. Gastrointestinal illness, poor gut microbiome, and pH imbalance in the gut can hinder folate absorption, along with certain drugs.

The MTHFR genetic mutation can impair the folate conversion process, which means dietary folate is not properly activated.

Normally, dietary folate is converted to methylfolate in the intestinal mucosa. The folate cycle begins with the conversion of dietary folate (B9) into dihydrofolate (DHF), which is then reduced to tetrahydrofolate (THF) by the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). THF is next converted to 5,10-methyleneTHF by serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT). This process requires vitamin B6 as a cofactor. In the final step, 5,10-methylene THF is reduced to 5-MTHF by the MTHFR enzyme.

Methylfolate supplementation guarantees the body will be obtaining a specific amount of L-methylfolate every day, which foods cannot. There is no way to measure the exact folate content in a particular food item, which makes it almost impossible to know if the body’s daily requirements are being met. Those with MTHFR have increased demand for folate due to their inability to process it properly. Studies show that an L-methylfolate supplement is the most effective option.

By bypassing the conversion step, supplementation with L-methylfolate can improve folate levels in the body.