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We have a problem. When discussing vitamin B9, common parlance is to use “folic acid” and “folate” interchangeably, as if the two are different terms for the same thing. Talk to most OB-GYNs about the type of vitamin B9 in your prenatal, and they’ll say the difference doesn’t matter. Look at the average nutrition label, and it’ll list folic acid rather than folate, even though it’s naturally occurring. They are not the same. The difference is meaningful. 

Our bodies don’t actually use “folic acid” or “folate”; they convert them into 5-methyltetrahydrofolate—the useable form of folate. Folic acid must go to the liver for conversion into 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, but there’s an issue here: The liver doesn’t always make enough of the enzyme necessary to convert folic acid into tetrahydrofolate.

Organic folates, like the ones found in food or supplemental 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, don’t have this problem. They’re easily converted into tetrahydrofolate at the gut level upon consumption. 

Okay, okay. So maybe just take a little more folic acid to make sure you produce enough tetrahydrofolate—right? Flood the pathways, brute-force conversion.

That same tactic used by millions of OB-GYNs to get their patients’ folate levels up to par may have unintended consequences. Unconverted folic acid can end up circulating throughout the body, where it has unwanted side effects. Let’s explore a few of them.

Immune Function

Natural killer cells are the immune system’s first line of defense against pathogens and immune insults. Their primary function is to kill—to promote cytoxicity, or cell death—and excessive folic acid in the blood may impair this. In one study, postmenopausal women with elevated blood levels of unmetabolized folic acid had lower natural killer cell cytotoxicity. A more recent study in Brazilian adults found the same thing: 5 mg of folic acid (an admittedly massive dose) given each day increased serum unmetabolized folic several-fold and lowered the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells. Natural killer cells that aren’t good at killing aren’t good at all.

Diabetes

As mentioned earlier, the presence of unmetabolized folic acid in circulation reduces the activity of natural killer cells, which in addition to defending against invading pathogens also stem the tide of unchecked inflammatory processes, including autoimmune destruction of the body’s own tissues.

A 2012 mouse study showed that administering NK cells halted the destruction of pancreatic beta cells and beat back the progression of autoimmune diabetes. If people are exposed to enough non-metabolized folic acid to depress NK cell function, that could partially explain the rise of type 1 diabetes.

Indeed, shortly after 159 countries began fortifying flour with folic acid, the diabetes rate skyrocketed, exceeding epidemiological forecasts. 

Pregnancy

Folate is critical for fetal development, and supplementation with folic acid has been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects. That’s synthetic folic acid, by the way. It’s clearly helpful, especially if you’re not eating folate-rich foods. But there may be an upper limit, particularly after the first month of pregnancy.

Unmetabolized folic acid, which is elevated in many pregnant women who supplement with it, competes with glutamate for binding on neural growth cones in fetuses. If the folic acid outcompetes glutamate, researchers hypothesize it could impair neural development. Some researchers even propose that excess unmetabolized folic acid from folic acid supplementation could increase the risk of autism.

But I heard that folic acid is more bioavailable than other forms of folate. If that’s true, isn’t folic acid better?

Not necessarily.

A recent study showed the “superiority” of folic acid compared to food-based folate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Taking folic acid resulted in much greater serum levels of folic acid than either folate-rich foods or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate; they absorbed more. But were they using it? Or was a lot of that folate ending up in the bloodstream, unused and unmetabolized, where it’s been shown to cause the problems listed in the previous sections? A closer look reveals that while folic acid increased serum folate to a greater degree, the folate-rich foods and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate were better at increasing red blood cell folate levels.

There’s another variable to consider when choosing the type of folate you take: Genetics.

Certain genetic variants make conversion of both folic acid and food folate much harder. These are the infamous MTHFR mutations, which control production of an enzyme that plays a critical role in the folate conversion pathway. If you have an inhibitory mutation, your ability to complete the conversion of folic acid and folate into 5-methyltetrahydrofolate suffers.

Supplemental folic acid is just folic acid. It always has to travel the entire folate pathway for conversion into useable folate.  Food folate is different. A small portion of it is in the folic acid form requiring full conversion, but it also comes in different forms, some of which start out further along the conversion pathway. A significant portion of food folate is even 5-methyltetrahydrofolate itself, eliminating the need for conversion entirely.

You absorb more synthetic folic acid but may have trouble converting it into folate you can use.

You absorb less food folate but it’s easier to convert into useable folate.

Chris Masterjohn made an interesting point in a recent podcast, though: In the context of a vitamin B12 deficiency, synthetic folic acid may work better than food folate. If that’s the case for you, I’d recommend fixing the B12 deficiency.

While folic acid can certainly be helpful, especially in certain populations with certain health conditions, I err on the side of more “natural” (for lack of a better term) forms. For thousands of years, we’ve gotten our folate from foods. And some of the folate we find in foods comes in a form identical to supplemental 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. These are the forms to which we’ve adapted. They’re what our bodies expect. Folic acid clearly works at elevating folate levels, preventing neural tube defects, and preventing gross deficiencies, but it comes with potential side effects. I always like to err on the side of nature.

Why am I telling you this now? Personal experience. I recently just switched the vitamin B9 source in Master Formula from folic acid to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. I did the research over time, saw that I could do better, and fixed it. I wasn’t providing the optimum B9 formulation in my supplement, a supplement that I myself take every day and have for years. Now I am.

That’s it for today, folks. If you have any questions about folate, folic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, chime in below!

I don’t often highlight the latest deals on the blog here, but this just fits the topic too readily. For those who are interested, I’m offering a $20 discount off your next purchase when you buy Primal Master Formula. Just use code TAKE20 at the Primal Blueprint store. Thanks for stopping by today, everybody.

The post Why the Type of Folate You Take Matters appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Most of my housekeeping habits come from my German mother. She is the queen of clean and the reason my home is mostly spic-and-span. (Although it will never be as tidy as hers, ever.) Still, I have to give credit where credit is due — and my favorite trick for ridding rugs of dirt, dog hair, and whatever else ends up embedded in my treasured carpets — comes from my dad (who is Irish and English, if that matters).

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Quick, easy, delicious dinners: We all want them, we all need them. There are so many recipes online that promise to deliver on all three of these things, and fail to actually do so. Let me convince you why this one-pot creamy chicken lemon pasta from Spoonful of Flavor will not fail you. Go ahead and pick up the short list of ingredients for this recipe at the grocery store tonight.

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Let’s face it — sometimes the side dishes are just better. Yes, chicken is great, and we’ll never say no to a burger, but aren’t we really just here for the luscious sweet potatoes, perfectly crunchy slaw, and irresistible veggie casseroles?

Today we’re celebrating the supporting cast of the dinner table with our 20 favorite scene-stealing side dishes.

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It’s 8:40 a.m. and I’m getting changed for my first period gym class. I am trying very hard to change without anyone seeing my body, my breasts, my stomach. I am pretty good at it but I have to put on my sports bra today because we are running. I’m already a D cup and we’re in grade nine. I am a very slow runner. Not the slowest — that coveted title is saved for Tracey. She the largest in the class and also the slowest. We leave the gym and not only are we running track today but we are doing sprints and hurdles. The boys’ class is out there too; it’s a perfect storm for gym class embarrassment. 

I feel awkward and uncoordinated as I try and make my legs lift at the right time to go over the hurdle and not fall over. It is very clear to me that I am not an athlete. Sure, I play some team sports, but I’m nothing like those girls that are the star of every sport they try — not the super flexible gymnast or the one that makes all the sports teams, or the girl that looks like a gazelle when she runs. I don’t feel like I am good at anything.

It wasn’t until much later in life that I started to see myself in a different light. Someone who trains and moves their body to get better for themselves. Someone who trains because they like to move and want to improve. Not a pretender but a real athlete.

Are You an Athlete?

When the topic comes up of “who exactly is an athlete,” it is usually met with questions of how to define an athlete. Dictionary definitions aside, everyone really defines being an athlete in their own way.

Someone dedicated to their sport?
Someone who trains with a specific goal in mind?
Someone who only focuses on their sport?

Most of the time people define an athlete as someone that is “good at their sport” but I question if that is the only definition.

Are you an athlete? Do you prioritize your training? Is it important to you? Do you strive to get better at what you do?

Most women that I talked to laughed a little when I asked them if they were an athlete. Most hadn’t thought to look at themselves in that light. They said that they never thought of themselves as an athlete because they were not the best at what they do despite most of them doing some sort of training at least three or four times a week, or more.

Interesting fact: when asked, many women said that if they were an athlete they would prioritize themselves more.

You are only limited by what you tell yourself and it starts with understanding what being an athlete means to you. Is it time for a mind shift?

How We Talk About Ourselves Matters

The words we use not only have an impact on how we perceive ourselves, but also on how others see us. In my senior year of college I had a skiing accident and required knee surgery.  The surgeon asked if I was an athlete and I was caught off guard. I didn’t play for any varsity teams and everything I did was for fun and my well being — not for competition. So I answered “No” and it really changed the course of my recovery. The main goal became just walking versus getting back to where I was physically.

I learned my lesson, and when I had to have another knee surgery a few years ago, I made the surgeon very aware of what kinds of activities I was taking part in, and how important they were to me. The difference in my recovery protocol was marked. I was doing physio to build strength and get me back to what I love to do.

Our impression of who an athlete is starts early, and it’s not an uncommon story to hear women feeling completely inadequate in gym class and then to find themselves later in life training with a goal in mind. GGS community member Katy Moran from the Strong Women Lift Each Other Up group had an awakening recently when she realized that she is an athlete!

“Turns out I am a bit of a natural at sport (despite always being overlooked at school because I was fat) I have competed and won in BJJ and I am going to the European Championship next month to keep pursuing my own progress. Three and a half years ago, I had never exercised and had a terrible body image. I thought that I was awful at sport and that I could never be who I wanted to be. It’s amazing how a little dedication can change you,” Katy says.

GGS team member Fabi Marier had a similar experience: “Even though I was involved in a physical activity growing up, I never would have thought of myself as athletic. Dance, especially back in the day, was considered an art, and athletes were the ones involved in sports. Besides, with my dismal hand-eye coordination, I was your typical ‘last kid picked for any team’ during PE class, and I remember looking towards the yearly fitness tests with absolute dread. I couldn’t catch a ball. I couldn’t run. The only reason I managed to salvage my PE grades in high school was because there was always one activity throughout the year (gymnastics, aerobics, etc.) which helped me get my average above the failing grade.”

“While in my early 20s I moved from dance to fitness, I still never considered the “athlete” label to fit with me,” Fabi recalls. “It wasn’t until 2014 — at the very first GGS event, no less! — that my perspective was shaken up a bit. I had to fill a release form, and the first line stated Athlete’s Name. I remember looking around, completely puzzled, trying to figure out if someone had given me the wrong form to complete. I couldn’t possibly be considered an athlete, could I?!”

“Talk about a transformative moment! It took a while for me to get truly comfortable with that new way of seeing myself, but I’m glad of this new outlook,” she continues. “Yes, I am an athlete. I lift weights, I dance, I work with kettlebells. And while it’s unlikely to ever earn me any medal or trophy, I still train with focus and discipline. Because that’s also what being an athlete is!”

Mindset Shifts Have Tremendous Impact

Once their mindset shifts, many women find that their perception about what they can do shifts as well. When talking about finding her athletic strength, GGS community member Kyle Putnam states that “There was plenty of athletic potential buried in there and I had no idea.”

Finding and seeing yourself as an athlete can really open your mind to all your possibilities. As GGS community member Jacqueline Casey found out, “It’s like there’s this whole other side of being me and living in this body that I never discovered and I bet a lot of people never get to discover.”

Seeing yourself as an athlete can bring on a new sense of confidence, accomplishment and drive not only in your athletic endeavors but also in the rest of your life.

As Coaching & Training Women Academy CPPC graduate Kimberly Boal recalls: “Through the years, I have learned that there are activities I like more than others. I have never seen myself as excellent at a particular sport, so I never labeled myself as an ‘athlete.’ One day, I was on a long road ride on my bike. It was on that ride that I realized that I had worked hard to be able to ride longer than 20 miles — spending time in the gym working on my muscular endurance and flexibility, learning how to eat to assure I would have enough energy for the journey. I realized on that ride that I was indeed an athlete!”

“I believe that being an athlete is more than the sport,” Kimberly says. “It is about finding a goal and pursuing it with passion and joy. It is training to achieve your goal, whatever it is. Calling myself an ‘athlete’ gives me a source of pride and accomplishment. When I am proud of myself, I carry myself with more confidence and I believe that those around me see it too.”

These changes can be incredibly empowering, as GGS team member Kayla Anderson points out: “When I began powerlifting, I felt a bit ridiculous at first. But with encouragement, I started to get more confident. I felt at home in my body, my energy levels were up, and I developed a much more sustainable relationship with food than I had before — when my gym endeavors were all about losing weight by doing a bunch of cardio, which left me feeling exhausted, hungry and restricted.”

“When I finally believed that I could achieve things with powerlifting is when my mindset shifted to treating myself like an athlete,” Kayla says. “To me, being an athlete means making your physical practice a priority, caring for your body with nourishing foods and good sleep, and keeping a positive mindset when things are hard or you have a bad day. Being an athlete means cultivating consistency and never giving up on myself.”

GGS team member Steph Ondrusek echoes this: “When I began to see myself as an athlete, I realized I had the power to create what I wanted, not just in the gym, but in my life. I went from being in the gym constantly to get smaller to looking forward to training in order to step into my power, see how strong I am, and explore what I could do. That mindset carried over into the rest of my life, changing how I view myself forever.”

Three Steps to Seeing Yourself as an Athlete

1. Make the decision to see yourself as an athlete.
We often think that we have to become some kind of expert in a particular sport  or get some sort of athletic award to be considered an athlete but this is just not true. It’s your choice to see yourself as an athlete — no one else’s opinion matters.

2. Identify negative thinking.
Notice when you are putting yourself down or looking for reasons why you are not worthy of being called an athlete. The nagging voice of self doubt that tells us that we are not good enough isn’t going to go away but being aware that it is there and not always right is a step in the right direction.

3. Talk the talk.
It’s time to start talking to yourself as an athlete. Start to recognize that you take your training and recovery seriously and that it is important to you. Identify yourself as an athlete to yourself and those around you solidifies that view of yourself.

The post Who Gets to Call Themselves an Athlete? appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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Day 318 Of 360

Rest as needed between sets. If sets require interruption at the chosen weight, or range of motion fails, make as minor an adjustment as needed and complete the next uninterrupted and at full-range. When the scheme is listed as “2 x 5″, it always refers to “Sets” x “Reps”. Reminder: Sound position always governs weight.

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We’re a nation of asthmatics, with the CDC estimating that one in every 12 adults and one in every 11 children are diagnosed with asthma. And with that number on the rise, the use of asthma inhalers is projected to skyrocket… but are inhalers really the safest and most effective way to treat asthma? The average […]

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Sure, love handles sound cute. In reality, they’re really just pronounced areas of fat on a person’s midsection. If you’re sporting love handles, the first thing you’ll need to do is improve your diet. There’s no point in doing crunches if you’re eating the wrong foods. So, start by changing your diet, then add targeted […]

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People have very strong feelings about breakfast cereal. Breakfast cereals—especially the sugary ones — are commonly associated with childhood, so a favorite brand inspires feelings of intense loyalty and nostalgia. And finding out someone loves the same breakfast cereal can inspire instant camaraderie. Just last weekend, a new friend mentioned that her favorite cereal was also Cap’n Crunch, and we spent the next 20 minutes swapping war stories about shredding the roofs of our mouths on our favorite breakfast cereal.

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In the U.S. alone, one in 10 people were suffering from diabetes in the year 2015, whereas prediabetics constituted roughly one quarter of the nation’s entire population aged 18 and older.¹ Such worrisome statistics reveal to us that certain illnesses, like diabetes or cardiovascular problems, are not only the result of diet choices, but a variety of lifestyle choices. Genetics also play a role and, in certain instances, may even be the sole cause of a diabetes diagnosis.

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