Folic acid--vitamin B9--plays a crucial role in the health of your central nervous system and other major body systems. Folic acid also supports healthy cell DNA, tissue generation and growth, iron use, and psychological function. You can get enough folic acid from certain foods in the form of folate. Certain people may need to take a folic acid supplement, but you shouldn't take extra folic acid before first talking with your doctor.
Requirements
In general, women require more folic acid than men, particularly women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Women and men 19 years old and older need 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, but pregnant women of the same age group need 600 micrograms and breastfeeding women need 500 micrograms. The recommended daily requirement of folic acid for adolescents 14 to 18 years old is also 400 micrograms, but children 9 to 13 need only 300 micrograms. Infants require 65 to 80 micrograms of folic acid, toddlers 1 to 3 need 150 micrograms, and children 4 to 8 require 200 micrograms.
Foods
You can get folic acid from eating folate-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals and some fruits such as citrus. Folate-rich vegetables include dark leafy greens such as spinach and mustard greens, asparagus, beets, turnips and Brussels sprouts. Lima, soy, white, kidney and mung beans all contain folate. Fruit sources of folic acid include papaya, avocado, oranges, bananas and tomatoes, while meat or fish sources are chicken and beef livers and salmon. Whole grains, bulgur wheat and wheat germ contain folate, along with peanuts, cashews and fortified breakfast cereals.
Amounts
Chicken livers contain the highest amount of folate, with 700 micrograms in just 3 1/2 oz., while the same amount of beef liver contains 217 micrograms. Fortified cereals can contain up to 400 micrograms of folate in each 3/4-cup serving, while 1 cup of soybean flour contains about 260 micrograms. Canned lima and pinto beans or chickpeas have 121 to 160 micrograms of folate in 1 cup, and 1/2 cup of boiled spinach has 131 micrograms. One medium-sized avocado or papaya offers 113 to 116 micrograms of folate, and just 1/4 cup of toasted wheat germ yields 102 micrograms. Other foods that contain folate such as rice, oranges, green peas, whole-wheat bread, broccoli, peanuts and tomatoes offer less than 100 micrograms of folic acid.
Considerations
If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods in your diet or from taking a supplement, you may develop a deficiency. Other factors such as pregnancy, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism and kidney problems, as well as taking some medications for treating rheumatoid arthritis, seizure disorders and cancer, can lead to a folic acid deficiency. Irritable bowel syndrome and malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease can also cause folic acid deficiencies. Increasing your intake of folic acid-rich foods or taking a supplement may help, but you should seek treatment for the underlying condition as well.
Significance
A folic acid deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia, poor growth in children, poor appetite, irritability, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, diarrhea and shortness of breath. Folic acid deficiency can even cause oral problems such as gingivitis and tongue swelling. A deficiency prior to and during pregnancy can be the most dangerous, however, potentially causing birth defects such as spina bifida and other neural tube defects. Folic acid deficiency during pregnancy can also cause low birth weight, brain damage and cleft palate in the fetus.
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