Metafolin® - For stable health
Folates are water-soluble B vitamins found in fresh vegetables, lettuce, oranges and liver, as well as in whole-grain products, tomatoes and apples.
Folates are needed for cell division and cell repair. As studies have revealed, on average most people only consume around 30-60% of the recommended daily intake. Women who receive a sufficient supply of folates during pregnancy can significantly lower the frequency of neural tube defects and other serious congenital malformations. Lower folate levels are also associated with cardiovascular problems, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression and cancer.
Letting nature show the way
The body’s preferred form of folate is L-methyl folate. With Metafolin®, Merck has succeeded in manufacturing L-methyl folate - the predominant natural form of folate - in a stable form, and making it commercially available. In contrast to the provitamin folic acid, which has often been prescribed during pregnancy, L-methyl folate does not need to be converted first by the body – and, what is more, it is the only form of folate that can cross the blood-brain barrier.
The only patent-protected folate vitamin
Humans are unable to synthesize folates in the body and must therefore obtain them from dietary sources. During processing and cooking, large amounts of this sensitive, water-soluble vitamin are lost. Pure crystalline Metafolin® provides a way of assuring an adequate intake of folate. Metafolin® has been officially approved as a vitamin in the United States since 2001 and in the European Union since spring 2006.
