Vitamin C, Folic Acid Derivative Improve Serum Folate Status

LEUVEN, BelgiumIn healthy male volunteers given a folic acid derivative, concurrent supplementation with vitamin C significantly improved serum folate levels starting 30 minutes after treatment (Euro J Clin Nutr.Epub ahead of print, July 17, 2007).

Researchers from the University of Leuven administered one of four treatment protocols to nine healthy male volunteers343 mcg methyltetrahydrofolic acid (MTHF), the MTHF dose plus 289 mg ascorbic acid AA, MTHF plus 974 mg AA, or placebo. Serum folate concentrations were measured before and up to eight hours after administration of each treatment.

Starting 30 minutes after MTHF administration, serum folate concentrations significantly increased compared to baseline values, remaining elevated for the first four hours of solo MTHF treatment and the first six hours of both MTHF-AA combination treatments. Maximal serum folate responses were observed between 0.5 and 1.5 hours after solo MTHF administration; for the combination treatments, total serum folate response was improved, but there was no difference between the two different AA doses..

Researchers concluded a physiological dose of MTHF, in conjunction with AA administration, significantly improved the measured serum folate response in folate-saturated healthy men.