Hair follicle cells are among the fastest-dividing cells in your body, second only to bone marrow and intestinal lining. This rapid division rate makes hair growth highly sensitive to nutrients involved in DNA synthesis — and folate is one of the most critical.
Folate (as tetrahydrofolate) is essential for synthesizing thymidine, one of the four nucleotide bases in DNA. Without adequate folate, DNA replication slows, and rapidly dividing cells like hair matrix cells are affected first.
Your body prioritizes folate for essential functions: immune cells, red blood cells, fetal development during pregnancy. Hair is biologically expendable. When folate supply is limited, hair follicles are among the first tissues to receive reduced allocation.
Gelagen provides 442mcg DFE (111% DV) as folic acid. This ensures hair follicle cells have adequate folate for DNA synthesis during the active growth (anagen) phase.
Folate and B12 work together in the methionine synthase reaction. B12 deficiency can “trap” folate in an unusable form, creating functional folate deficiency even when folate intake is adequate. Our formula includes both nutrients to prevent this bottleneck.