What Your Body Actually Needs and Why This Matters for Pregnancy and Your Family
If you have ever looked at a prenatal label, you have probably seen the words folic acid front and center. Doctors recommend it. Prenatals include it. We are told it is essential for pregnancy and healthy babies.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Contrary to popular belief, folic acid is not the same thing as folate.
And your body does not treat them the same way, because they are not the same thing.
Hear me out..this is important.
What Is Folate?
Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin known as vitamin B9. It is found in real food and is essential for:
- DNA creation and repair
- Cell division
- Brain and nervous system development
- Red blood cell formation
- Healthy pregnancy and fetal development
Folate is the form your body recognizes. It is what your cells actually use.
Folate can be found naturally in foods like:
- Leafy greens
- Liver and organ meats
- Avocado
- Lentils and legumes
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
When you consume folate from food or from a properly formulated supplement, your body knows what to do with it.
What Really Is Folic Acid?
Folic acid is synthetic.
It does not exist in nature.
It was created in a lab and added to supplements and fortified foods because it is cheap, stable, and easy to mass produce.
Here is the key difference.
Your body cannot use folic acid directly.
It must go through a multi step conversion process in the liver to become the active form of folate called 5 MTHF. Only after that conversion can your cells use it.
And this is where problems begin for many people.
Methylation Explained Simply
Methylation is a foundational process in the body. It can be compared to the process of refining crude oil that’s extracted from the ground. There’s a process in which raw crude oil must undergo to transform it into a usable form. Methylation is a similar process. Think of it like an internal delivery system.
It helps your body:
- Turn nutrients into usable fuel
- Support detox pathways
- Regulate mood and focus
- Support sleep
- Build neurotransmitters
- Support hormone balance
- Support pregnancy and fetal development
Folate plays a major role in this process.
When folate is already in its active form, your body can plug it right in and use it immediately.
When folic acid is consumed, your body must convert it first.
And not everyone can do that efficiently.
The MTHFR Gene and Why It Matters
Many people have a genetic variation called MTHFR. In fact, research estimates that roughly 40 percent of the population carries at least one MTHFR gene variant, which directly affects how well the body converts folic acid into the active form of folate it actually needs.
Some people convert it slowly.
Some people barely convert it at all.
This means folic acid can build up in the bloodstream without ever becoming usable folate.
That does not mean folate is bad. It means the form matters. Think back to the crude oil example. You cannot put raw crude oil in your car and expect it to operate properly.
This is why many functional practitioners recommend methylated folate instead of folic acid.
It is already in the form your body needs.
No extra steps or strain on your system.
Pregnancy and Prenatals
Why This Conversation Is So Important
Folate is critical in early pregnancy, especially during the first few weeks when the neural tube is forming. This often happens before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
Traditional medicine recommends folic acid because older studies showed it reduced neural tube defects. At the time, folic acid was the form available for research.
What we now understand is this:
- The protective effect comes from active folate, not the synthetic precursor
- Many women cannot efficiently convert folic acid
- If conversion is impaired, the body may not receive the folate it needs at the most critical time
What we understand now is that methylated folate gives the body the form it can actually use, without depending on how well someone converts folic acid. For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, that distinction matters.
A Personal Note
Why This Changed Everything for Me
I personally have both the MTHFR and COMT gene variations.
Before I understood this, I struggled with things I could not explain. Focus issues. Sleep issues. Feeling wired but tired. Nutrients that never seemed to work the way they were supposed to.
Once I learned how methylation worked and started supporting my body with nutrients in their methylated forms, it changed everything for me.
Better sleep. Better focus. Better energy. Less overwhelmed.
When working towards improving one’s health, this is an underrated yet extremely important topic. When your body gets nutrients in the form it can actually use, everything works better.
COMT and Why It Ties In
COMT is another gene involved in neurotransmitter breakdown and stress response.
If COMT is slow, the body can become overstimulated easily. Supporting methylation properly can make a noticeable difference in mood, sleep, and nervous system regulation.
This is another reason why giving the body pre-activated nutrients matters so much.
Adding more doesn’t help if the body can’t use it. The form is what makes the difference.
Food First Always
Real food matters. Always.
Foods rich in natural folate include:
• Dark leafy greens
• Pasture raised liver
• Avocado
• Lentils and beans
• Asparagus
Food based folate is gentle, supportive, and bioavailable.
But during pregnancy and preconception, food alone may not always be enough. This is where a high quality prenatal matters.
What to Look for in a Prenatal
When choosing a prenatal, look for:
• Folate listed as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, methylfolate, or 5 MTHF
• No folic acid
• Thoughtful formulation
• Transparent sourcing
Two options we personally trust and love:
• Dr. Brighten’s Prenatal Plus, which uses methylated folate
• Gary Brecka’s Optimize or 10X Health supplements, which also use methylated forms the body recognizes
These support methylation instead of stressing it.
Should You Get Genetic Testing
Genetic testing can be helpful, but it isn’t required to start making better choices. For those who want more clarity, testing can show which genetic variations you carry and how your body processes certain nutrients. That information can help you understand where you may be deficient and what your body actually needs more support with. Even without testing, choosing nutrients in their methylated, bioavailable forms is a smart place to start because it removes much of the guesswork.
The Bottom Line
Folic acid and folate are not the same and should not be treated as such.
• Folic acid is synthetic and requires conversion
• Folate is natural and biologically active
• Methylated folate is what your body actually uses
• Many people cannot efficiently convert folic acid
• Pregnancy is not the time to rely on inefficient pathways
When you understand how your body works, you can support it with confidence. That is real empowerment. And that is what we want for you and your family.