Talking Nutrition Editors
Talking Nutrition speaks to Barbara Troesch, Lead Scientist Nutrition Science & Advocacy Global, about the findings of the study investigating the safety and suitability of MTHF as a new source of folate for infant formula and follow-on formula.
The B-vitamin folate is an essential nutrient needed for optimal cell division, tissue growth and cognitive development. Therefore it is particulary important during the period of rapid growth and development in early life.
Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate which does not occur in nature and is only found in foods fortified with folic acid. In breast milk, the predominant form of folate is Metafolin®, an active form of folate. Folic acid on the other hand needs to be activated in the body. Depending on the genotype, not everybody is able to do this efficienty.1
Generally folic acid is metabolized to Metafolin® in the enterocytes in the gut lining. At higher intakes, this mechanism is overloaded and folic acid enters the plasma unmetabolized.2 Unmetabolized folic acid is not present in breast milk, unless maternal intakes via supplements or fortified foods are high. It is important to consider the genetic differences in ability to metabolize folic acid, which may decrease the availability of active folate.
Metafolin® INF provides a more natural solution for infant and follow-on formula, and a new study has been published that investigated the safety and suitability of using Metafolin® as source of folate.3
The study assessed growth, tolerance and indicators of safety in infants who were fed a formula containing Metafolin®, compared to infants fed a standard formula with folic acid.
Infants who consumed the formula with Metafolin® did not show significant differences in growth and tolerance compared to infants fed the same formula including folic acid. Weight gain was comparable between both groups and the addition of Metafolin® did not raise any safety concerns or result in any adverse effects. The results have demonstrated that Metafolin® is a safe approach to providing adequate folate intake without increasing the amount of unmetabolized folic acid in the plasma of formula-fed infants.
dsm-firmenich supports the WHO recommendation that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then breastfed alongside complementary food for up to the age of two years or beyond, to achieve optimal growth, development and long-term health. Not all infants can be breastfed. So, infant formula and follow-on formula need to be optimized to provide a nutritional, safe and adequate alternative. The results of the study represent an important step in achieving approval for Metafolin® as a natural form of folate.
Metafolin® is a registered trademark of Merck
23 August 2019
2 min read
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1. Scaglione, F. and G. Panzavolta (2014). "Folate, folic acid and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate are not the same thing." Xenobiotica 44(5): 480-488
2. Patanwala, I., et al. (2014). "Folic acid handling by the human gut: implications for food fortification and supplementation." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 100(2): 593-599.
3. Troesch B, Demmelmair J, Gimpfl M, Hecht C, Lakovic G, Roehle R, et al. (2019) Suitability and safety of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate as a folate source in infant formula: A randomized-controlled trial. PLoS ONE 14(8): e0216790.
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