History of Folates

The English physician Lucy Wills worked in the slums of Bombay in the 1920s and observed that a special form of anemia could be treated with a yeast extract. It was only later that folate was recognized as the effective factor in such treatment. In 1941, Mitchell and colleagues suggested the name "folic acid" (folium, Latin for leaf) for a factor showing vitamin-like properties. It took some decades to identify the nutritional factor involved and to elucidate its chemical structure. Today these vitamins of the B group are known as "folates".

The metabolic roles of folates are now largely known. Folates are important co-factors in carbon one-transfer reactions and are involved in two key metabolic pathways: DNA biosynthesis and the methylation cycle.

1996 Humans cannot synthesize folates, they must obtain them from dietary sources. During processing and cooking, significant amounts of food folates are lost. Today, the dietary folate intake of most people is clearly lower than the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Due to the importance of folates, especially during preconception and early pregnancy, some countries implemented a mandatory food-fortification with folic acid. In the U.S. the increased folate intake consequently resulted in a significant reduction of birth defects. But even in countries with a mandatory food-fortification a significant share of the population has an insufficient folate intake. Consumption of dietary supplements or fortified foods containing Metafolin® would be helpful in maintaining healthy folate body stores.
2001® Metafolin® has been developed to provide a pure and crystalline ingredient which is identical to the naturally-occurring predominant form of folate vitamer. In 2001 Metafolin® received its first regulatory approval: in the U.S. a "New Dietary Ingredient Notification" for Metafolin® sucessfully passed U.S. FDA evaluation.

For more information regarding the regulatory status please click here.  


Key Publications / References:

L. Wills (1931):
Treatment of "pernicious anaemia of pregnancy" and "tropical anaemia".
Br Med J., 1: 1059-64.

H. Mitchell, E. Snell, R. Williams (1941):
The concentration of "folic acid".
J Am Chem Soc., 63: 2284.