Is Natural Folic Acid Better?
Many people assume that natural vitamins are always better than synthetic vitamins. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. It turns out that folic acid is really the synthetic form of the vitamin. The natural form is called folate. If you check the label of your multivitamin you will likely see that it contains folic acid and not folate. This is because folic acid is about twice as well absorbed as folate. This doesn’t mean that folic acid is better. Companies likely add folic acid to supplements because it helps reduce birth defects. Combating folate deficiency is one of the main reasons why folic acid is added to various foods also. Some birth control pills as well as other medications might also lower folate levels so this is another reason it’s added.
