NOTE: This test is ONLY AVAILABLE TO AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS.
The Folate Metabolism Test (Australia Only)
Folate is of extreme importance when it comes to your health, many people have problems with the metabolism of folate or folic acid which means that they are at a higher risk of having methylation problems such as:
- The inability to properly convert folate or folic acid into the more active folate such as 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate or (5MTHFR) needed for proper methylation.
- At a higher risk of having homocysteine imbalances
- Infertility problems, miscarriages or birth defects
- Accumulating excess amounts of synthetically made folic acid that can lead to immune system suppression
- Having symptoms of folate and or vitamin B12 deficiencies that don’t respond to common supplementation properly
- Having MTHFR gene mutation symptoms
About The Folate Metabolism Test
After you purchase the folate metabolism test, you will receive a simple blood test kit in the mail. The test kit comes with:
- An authorized blood specimen order form that you take to your local accredited pathology for collection of your blood (Find a pathology near you here).
- A blood specimen test kit for the pathology to use to collect your blood sample
- Complete instructions for taking the test for you and the pathology
- Note, pathology will charge approximately $33.00 to take your sample
Test results are sent to one of our professional health practitioners within 7 – 10 business days for evaluation. Our practitioners contact you with the results and recommendations on any findings via email, mail or phone.
What Do We Test For?
The folate metabolism test looks at a combination of important folate pathways to see if they are working properly, these include:
- 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate (5MTHF)
- Folinic acid
- Tetrahydrofolate (THF)
- Active vitamin B12
- Serum folate
- Homocysteine
Problems With Folic Acid
Many nutritional supplements provide folic acid which is a synthetic man made substance, many people especially those with certain gene mutations can not use this form of folic acid efficiently which leads to serious methylation problems. Further, folic acid can build up in your body over time as a by-product of un-methylated folic acid that has been shown to lower your immune systems natural killer cells.
Therefore elevated folic acid readings on a blood report from your doctor may indicate an inability to properly metabolize folate or folic acid.
Supplementing Folate & Warnings
Many people who are concerned about having folate deficiency use supplements to help prevent folate deficiency, many are now learning that they can bypass the folate deficiency by supplementing the activated forms of folate, this is a very bad idea.
Taking activated folate supplements without the supervision of an experienced practitioner can be dangerous, this is because activated folate can cause serious problems such as methyl trapping which can seriously affect neurotransmitters leading to severe depression. Testing for folate metabolism is the safest & best way to know what you need and don’t need to do.
Have any questions about this test? Ask one of our qualified MTHFR health practitioners here.
