Is folic acid TOXIC?
Listen to Gary Brecka and the like enough and you might think it is
Soooo one of wellness influencers new favorite topic right now is MTHFR and folic acid being bad for “44% of people because of the MTHFR mutation!” If you haven’t been on this side of the Internet yet, sorry in advance, but if you have, you might be confused. Can we digest folic acid? Is folic acid actually bad? Is it dangerous? Do most people have a problem with MTHFR which means they can’t break folic acid down? If it is such a problem, why are most breads, pastas, and flours fortified with it? Let’s talk.
Housekeeping stuff:
Folic acid is not the same thing as folate, although people use the words interchangeably. Even medical doctors and dietitians get the terms mixed up a lot. Folic acid is the fully oxidized, synthetic form of folate that is used for fortification in refined grains. It is in most supplements as well. It’s very stable and is therefore practical for these uses.
Folate (vitamin B9) is naturally occurring in foods like dark leafy greens and beef liver. It can also be found in supplements, although not nearly as often as folic acid. You’d have to go out of your way to find one with folinic acid or methylfolate.