L-methylfolate (also known as L-methylfolate, 5-methylfolate, 5-MTHF, prescription Deplin, 5-CH3-H4folate, or simply methylfolate) is the folate your body uses to fulfill it’s many essential methylating functions such as:
- Neurotransmitter production (folate is essential for brain health)
- DNA and RNA synthesis (after it’s converted to 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate)
- Cancer prevention
- Homocysteine processing (and heart and vascular health)
- Red blood cell production
- Detoxification
- And a million more things
Food Sources of L-methylfolate
Foods high in L-methylfolate include:
- Sprouted legumes (mung bean, lentil, chickpea, etc)
- Spinach
- Romaine Lettuce
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Cabbage
- Strawberries
- Other berries
- Oranges, grapefruit, and their juices
- Fermented foods such as kefir, water kefir, sauerkraut
- Brewer’s yeast
- Peas
- Sweet peppers
- and more
Grains such as wheat, corn, and rice are low in folate, yet throughout the world they are a foundational food source, resulting in low folate status in most people. Meat is generally low in folate, except for liver, which is high in non-methylated (not 5-MTHF) folate.
Most fresh green plant sources of folate have between 50% and 100% of their folate in the active L-methylfolate form, with the average green leaf seeming to have about 80% of its folate in the L-methylfolate form. Virtually none of the folate in fresh food is folic acid, and virtually all of it is reduced (ready to be methylated if not already methylated).
Dried legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, and white beans have the highest folate concentration of any food. However, they are mostly non-methylated, being primarily tetrahydrofolate, followed by 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate. However, amazingly, sprouting legumes for four days causes a 3- to 4-fold increase in total folate, a near-complete conversion of the folate to L-methylfolate, and a spike in vitamin C content that protects and stabilizes the 5-MTHF.
Eating legumes sprouted for 4 days is quite possibly the single most powerful way of increasing your body’s supply of L-methylfolate (aside from 5-MTHF supplementation).
Bacteria and yeasts are folate factories, and hence fermented foods are excellent sources of active folate.
L-methylfolate (5-MTHF) supplements are rapidly gaining in popularity because they work. However, there is a lot of confusion out there as to whether people low in L-methylfolate can get L-methylfolate from food. Food scientists unequivocally find that food is an excellent source of active 5-MTHF. If you’re eating a lot of the right types of folate-rich food, L-methylfolate supplementation is likely unnecessary. If you have MTHFR gene mutations, eating fresh folate-rich foods becomes even more important. That said, popping a pill to get 1,000 or more micrograms in one swallow is a lot easier than eating fresh greens and fresh or frozen berries every day. Even so, in the long run you will be healthiest and happiest if you eat high-folate foods every day.
Effects of food processing on folate
Folate (L-methylfolate included) is relatively fragile and degrades when food is processed, so it is important to buy fresh green vegetables (primarily leafy greens and cruciferous) from the fresh produce department. Local and organic greens likely have more folate. Berries seem to last frozen for months without losing folate. Eat vegetables raw for best folate availability, or gently steam your veggies (5 minutes or less) to preserve the folate in the food. Boiling causes the folate to leech into the water, so avoid boiling greens unless you add them to a liquid you’ll consume (such as a soup) in the last few minutes of simmering. Green smoothies with raw spinach or kale and organic strawberries is a folate powerhouse. Vitamin C in food powerfully protects folate from breaking down. Hence, foods with both folate and vitamin C (such as broccoli and citrus) are super sources of L-methylfolate.
Are you eating your fresh greens and berries?
As mentioned above, L-methylfolate is essential for brain health. For most people, eating raw or lightly cooked dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and other fresh vegetables is required if you want to have a happy, healthy brain.
References
Indrawati, C. Arroqui, I. Messagie, M. T. Nguyen, A. Van Loey, M. Hendrickx. Comparative Study on Pressure and Temperature Stability of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid in Model Systems and in Food Products. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 485−492
Paul M. Finglas & Anthony J.A. Wright. Folate bioavailability and health. Phytochemistry Reviews 1: 189–198, 2002.
Shohag MJ, Wei Y, Yang X. Changes of folate and other potential health-promoting phytochemicals in legume seeds as affected by germination. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Sep 12;60(36):9137-43. doi: 10.1021/jf302403t. Epub 2012 Aug 27. PubMed PMID: 22906127.
Iyer R, Tomar SK. Folate: a functional food constituent. J Food Sci. 2009 Nov-Dec;74(9):R114-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01359.x. Review. PubMed PMID: 20492126.
Johan D. M. Patring, Sofia B. Hjortmo, Jelena A. Jastrebova, Ulla K. Svensson, Thomas A. Andlid, I. Margaretha Ja ̈gerstad. Characterization and quantification of folates produced by yeast strains isolated from kefir granules. Eur Food Res Technol (2005).
Cornelia M. Witthoft, Karin Forsskn, Lena Johannesson and Margaretha Jagerstad. Folates – food sources, analyses, retention and bioavailability. Scandinavian Journal of Nutrition/Naringsforskning Vol 43:138-146, 1999.
Thank you so much for this post. It is one of very few that goes into detail with regard to the content of folate in food delineated by chemical form.
Thank You Very Much ! Your report was very helpful.
Shirley Phillips
Question: In multiple locations, I’ve seen Brewer’s Yeast cited as a source for folate. Yet every quality brand I look at lists folic acid on the nutrition label. What brand/type do you recommend for natural folate?
Hi Jenny. I’ve noticed the same thing on Brewer’s yeast. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much folate brewer’s yeast naturally contains, so I can’t recommend any particular Brewer’s yeast.
Thanks so much for the post! A related question – what foods contain active forms of B12?
it seems you are one of the only articles on the internet which claims l-methylfolate can be consumed through food
there is a biochemical process of converting non-methylated folate and folic acid into l-mtfh
are you sure it is actually l-mtfh in the foods you list and not just non-methylated folate which can be converted by the body to l-mthf?
can you provide links which clearly state that l-mtfh is present in the foods listed?
Hi,
I am wondering how/where I could find the methylfolate vs folate ratios in the vegetables and legumes listed in this article
In cooking raw vegetables is it best to steam or boil, and how long
Steaming is best, and the less they’re cooked, the more they retain. 5-minute steaming is probably ideal.
Very informative thank you for this article…
Thanks for the informative article as I have this MTHFR gene mutation and needed a clear understanding of what this all means and your article helped me. Thanks
Hi, I just found this article. Wondering what happens with the drying process? For instance, some of the powdered green formulas that are gaining popularity now… usually drink/smoothie mixes. Also, I was wondering if you have any insight on why so often when I consume even a moderate amount of these items I end up with an amazing headache, mostly involving my trigeminal nerve (above eye and in that same side’s sinus…sometimes even my jaw)? If you have any insight, I would appreciate it. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment Irene. I’m not familiar with what happens in the dying process. My guess would be that most folate would still be usable if it’s dried gently, but it will likely not be as active (may not be as reduced and methylated). I highly recommend you see an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist and/or primary care practitioner for your headaches.