Nearly 60% of Americans take dietary supplements\u2014but increasingly, popular health influencers say people may not be seeing benefits unless they take easier-to-absorb \u201cmethylated vitamins.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Gary Brecka<\/a>, Andrew Huberman<\/a>, and other health podcasters are now advertising methylated vitamins as a way to ensure your body will actually be able to use the compounds in the various supplements you\u2019re taking.\n<\/p>\n But are these marketing claims true? Or are methylated vitamins only, as some experts say, making \u201cvery expensive urine\u201d?\n<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know about how methylated vitamins work in the body, and whether you should actually give them a try.\n<\/p>\n Vitamins that are \u201cmethylated\u201d have a slight molecular addition to their chemical backbone\u2014they include a methyl group, comprised of one carbon and three hydrogen molecules (CH3).\n<\/p>\n Two of the most popular methylated vitamins are both B vitamins: folate and B12.\n<\/p>\n Health influencers and supplement companies say this extra methyl molecule makes these vitamins more \u201cbioavailable,\u201d meaning it\u2019s easier for the body to absorb and use as intended.\n<\/p>\n However, despite the claims, there\u2019s little evidence that methylated vitamins are actually better for you than standard vitamins.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no recommendation from any authoritative health body to supplement with methylated versions of these vitamins for the general public\u2014or even for specific disease states,\u201d Kevin Klatt, PhD, RD<\/a>, an assistant research scientist in the Department of Nutrition Sciences and Toxicology at UC Berkley, told Health.\n<\/p>\n But how do methylated and unmethylated versions of both vitamins\u2014folate and B12\u2014compare to one another, and what\u2019s actually going on in the body?\n<\/p>\n Folate vs. Methylfolate <\/p>\n Folate (vitamin B9) is naturally found in green vegetables, nuts, fruits, and other foods<\/a>. Many cereals are also fortified with the supplement form of folate, called folic acid<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n This vitamin is essential during pregnancy. However, folate has been tied to other potential health benefits too, including protecting against early cancer development and keeping the brain healthy.\n<\/p>\n Folate deficiency is very uncommon in the U.S., but guidelines recommend that people capable of becoming pregnant should get 400 micrograms of folate daily through diet<\/a> or supplements.\n<\/p>\n For the body to use this vitamin, it must be converted into its active form, which is termed 5-MTHF (5-methyltetrahydrofolate or methylfolate).\n<\/p>\n The gut does this naturally when people eat foods with folates in them or take folic acid supplements. But you can also take 5-MTHF, or methylated folate, supplements, so the vitamin is already in its active form to begin with.\n<\/p>\n However, research conducted in 2004 and 2010 found that 5-MTHF is not better absorbed or more bioavailable than folic acid.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for the best folate absorption possible, what matters most isn\u2019t which form you take, but when you take it.\n<\/p>\n \u201dTake it on an empty stomach, because when folic acid [or 5-MTHF] is taken with food, you absorb [only] 85%,\u201d Vanessa\u00a0King, MS, RDN<\/a>, clinical nutrition manager for Queen\u2019s Health System in Hawaii and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Health.<\/p>\n B12 vs. Methylated B12 <\/p>\n Vitamin B12<\/a> is found in animal products such as beef, eggs, and fish. Adults need about 2.4 micrograms of this vitamin daily to keep blood and nerve cells healthy.\n<\/p>\n In its supplement form, companies manufacture vitamin B12 with another chemical group attached. Common forms include:\n<\/p>\n Cyanocobalamin: B12 and a \u201ccyanide group\u201dMethylcobalamin: the methylated form of B12<\/p>\n It\u2019s a similar story to folate\u2014methylcobalamin is the active form of B12, ready to be absorbed by the body when you take it. However, the body can easily convert cyanocobalamin or other unmethylated B12 supplements to this active form, too.\n<\/p>\n Again, studies comparing B12 to its methylated counterpart haven\u2019t found that methylcobalamin is better absorbed. There\u2019s little \u201cbiological rationale\u201d for the general public to take them, said Klatt.\n<\/p>\n Adding in some kind of B12 supplement<\/a> may not be a bad idea, particularly for people at higher risk of deficiency<\/a>. That includes:\n<\/p>\n People taking metformin<\/a> However, many vegans and vegetarians<\/a> are able to comfortably hit their recommended vitamin B12 levels without supplementation, since many foods are now fortified, King added.<\/p>\n In general, most healthy people don\u2019t need to take vitamins. Researchers emphasize exercising and eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables as an alternative.\n<\/p>\n But if you do want to take vitamin B12 and folate, both are water soluble, so they don\u2019t linger in the body. King said this means \u201ca bigger dose doesn\u2019t equal better absorption,\u201d but also that there\u2019s little risk that larger doses will cause toxic effects<\/a>\u2014regardless of whether the supplement is in a methylated or unmethylated form.\n<\/p>\n
\nPeople with gastrointestinal disorders
\nOlder people
\nVegetarians and vegans<\/p>\n