Why are the supplements I recommend more expensive (than the high street)?

I was recently asked this by a new client at her second visit. It's a great question and one that's currently getting media coverage - because the UK government has ordered that Folic Acid be added to refined flours. (Lots of processed foods such as breakfast cereals already have added Folic Acid. Sadly.)

So, what's the problem with high street supplements? In a nutshell, they're usually made from cheap, synthetic or unnatural sources (AND they often have undesirable additives including colourings, sweeteners and mineral bulking agents - but this article looks at the first point).

Folic Acid vs Folate is a great case study for how synthetic or unnatural sources can cause health problems, rather than address them. They can even cause the very health problems they are supposed to be addressing - in this case neural defects. This great article by Dr Clare Craig of the Hart Group explains how Folic Acid causes harm.

I'll summarise the problem in one sentence: Folic Acid (the unnatural version found in most supplements and given in large doses by GPs) creates bottlenecks and blockages in processing by the body, which means more work for the liver AND an actual decrease in natural Folate availability to the brain and all other cells.

This is why I always recommend Methylfolate supplements - the form your cells can actually use (especially in this liquid version). It's the version that's immediately available in the blood to be taken up by cells. And it bypasses any bottleneck and blockage caused by unnatural Folic Acid.

For those that want the detail (but don't have time to read the article), here's a summary:

• the enzyme we use to process folate is 1,300 times slower for Folic Acid than Folate (that means it's running at 0.08% of its usual efficiency). This creates a backlog of unusable folic acid in the blood - which the liver has to filter out and process. This has been found to take hours and even days in some people.

• AND ... Folic Acid binds to the folate transporters more tightly than natural Folate - and it doesn't let go easily. So it blocks the transporters. This produces LOW natural folate levels or less folate available for cells.

• PLUS ... around half of us have the MTHFR gene variant - this means the enzyme is even less efficient which creates an even bigger bottleneck.

So Folic Acid supplementation can actually create a Folate DEFICIENCY.

Why is Folate essential for health?

The cerebral spinal fluid (the liquid which bathes our brain and central nervous system) contains 2-3x more Folate than blood. So, Folate is REALLY important for cognitive and neurological function. A deficiency (bottleneck) could cause low mood, pins and needles, poor concentration and dementia.

Folate is also essential for red blood cell formation (preventing anaemia), gene expression and making new cells. It's vital for those looking to start a family (both parents) to check their Folate levels and start supplementation around 3 months before conception. Sadly, most prospective mothers or pregnant women are given Folic Acid or take high street combinations containing it.

We need to fight to stop the addition of Folic Acid to flour. I hope you agree. If so, please sign this petition and this petition.