Quatrefolic® is the innovACTIVE folate. It is the glucosamine salt of the active form of folate, methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). Quatrefolic® being the active form of folate, is readily available for transport and use in the body. It has high water solubility, improved bioavailability, and well-established safety.

Some background on the folates

Humans cannot synthesise folate. So, it must be obtained from the diet or in supplemental form.

Folate is an umbrella term for Folic acid, Folinic acid (from calcium folinate), Levomefolic acid (from levomefolate calcium), and Quatrefolic®, the fourth generation folate as Levomefolate glucosamine.

Folic acid is inactive and needs to be metabolised through various steps and reactions through specific enzymes to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), the active form (which is found in Quatrefolic®. One of the major steps folic acids needs to become metabolically effective is via the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). It is well established that some people do not metabolise folic acid efficiently. This includes people with a MTHFR polymorphism (a variation/difference in DNA sequence). Folic acid lacks coenzyme activity.

5-MTHF has important advantages over synthetic folic acid – it is well absorbed even when gastrointestinal pH is altered, and its bioavailability is not affected by metabolic defects.

• It is an essential micronutrient
• It is a critical cofactor in one-carbon metabolism
• 5-MTHF functions as a methyl donor in many metabolic reactions, including the conversion of homocysteine into methionine, the biosynthesis of glycine from serine, methylation of DNA, and the biosynthesis of DNA precursor molecules
• Plays a role as cofactors in essential one-carbon pathways donating methyl-groups to choline phospholipids, neurotransmitters, proteins, amino acids, glutathione (and re-methylation of) creatine, and adrenaline
• Low folate status may be caused by low dietary intake, poor absorption of ingested folate and alteration of folate metabolism due to genetic defects or drug interactions
• Folate deficiency has been linked with an increased risk of neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease, anaemia, and cognitive dysfunction

Why Quatrefolic® (Levomefolate glucosamine)

Quatrefolic® passes the gastric barrier and is absorbed mainly in the small intestine by a carrier mediated mechanism. The carrier is not saturated, and this enables Quatrefolic® to ensure a higher folate uptake. Quatrefolic® delivers a “finished” folate the body can immediately use without any kind of metabolisation. Therefore, Quatrefolic® provides the active form of 5-MTHF directly, it is able to bypass the need for conversion within the body that is impacted by the MTHFR polymorphism.

Additionally, glucosamine, as a salt of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate, does not come from animal sources and the product is suitable for vegetarian consumption.

Quatrefolic® can be used in tablets, capsules, and powders.

For more information, contact Craig Fallshaw at craig@cmgrouponline.com.au

References

• Crider et al. Adv Nutr. 2012 Jan;3(1):21-38.
• Ebara. Congenit Anom (Kyoto). 2017 Sep;57(5):138-141.
• Ferrazzi et al. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2020 Oct;253:312-319.
• Pietrzik et al. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2010 Aug;49(8):535-48.
• Scaglione and Panzavolta. Xenobiotica. 2014 May;44(5):480-8.
• Shulpekova et al. Molecules. 2021 Jun 18;26(12):3731.
• Smulders and Stehouwer. Semin Vasc Med. 2005 May;5(2):87-97.

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