Methylation of Vitamin B: What to Know
Vitamins are molecular compounds that our bodies need to grow and develop normally. There are many different types of vitamins with different functions for each. There are two types of broad categories of vitamins: essential and nonessential. Essential vitamins are ones that our bodies cannot synthesize so it is necessary to consume in the diet or by supplements and sometimes just consuming the vitamin is not enough, so our bodies need to convert it to an active form that it can use readily.
The most common vitamin that needs to be methylated to get to its active form is Vitamin B. Vitamin B has many different forms such as thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, B6, B12 and many more and has many different functions of our body. Vitamin B drives over 500 chemical reactions that help keep red blood cells healthy, build DNA and keep the nervous system functioning properly.
Methylation of Vitamin B converts it to an active form that our bodies can utilize. For example, folate is a type of vitamin B that needs to be methylated in order for it to be active in our bodies. Studies have shown that a widespread of the population cannot metabolize to the methylated form and it is necessary to consume the methylated forms in our diets for the vitamin to become efficient. Some internal and external factors that can decrease the level of methylation processes in our bodies are genetics, poor diet, smoking, malabsorption, decreased stomach acid, medications and toxic exposure.
One of the most popular supplements used by people today is Methylated Folate. Unmethylated folate in the bloodstream has been with reduced immune function. Folate from diet has also been found to mask vitamin B-12 deficiency, so if you are consuming methylated folate then you will be able to detect early signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Overall, methylated folate is a more effective supplement than just regular folate supplement.
References:
https://megafood.com/methylation-matters-part-1-2/
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/what-is-methylated-folate/