Pregnancy places heavy physiological demands on a woman's body, so it is important to get adequate nutrition for the health of the growing fetus. Folate requirements increase by 50 percent during pregnancy. Inadequate intakes of folate are associated with low birth rate, preterm delivery and defects in the fetal brain, spinal cord and central nervous system, such as spina bifida. The United States Public Health Service recommends all women of childbearing age consume at least 400 mcg of folate daily to reduce incidences of neural tube defects in newborns.
Supplemental Folate
Folate is an essential B-vitamin available in two forms. Folate is naturally occurring, and folic acid is the supplemental, synthetic form. Folic acid is more readily absorbed than naturally occurring folate. Recommended dietary allowances, which are established by the Institutes of Medicine, account for the differences in how readily each is absorbed in the body by referring to folate and folic acid recommended dietary allowances in dietary folate equivalents.
Recommended Dietary Allowance of Folate
Total dietary folate equivalent is equal to the dietary folate plus 1.7 times folic acid. The recommended dietary allowances are reported in dietary folate equivalents of folate and folic acid, so you do not have to calculate this yourself. Pregnant women 19 years of age and older need at least 600 mcg of folate daily during pregnancy and 500 mcg during lactation. Women who are on certain medications that are folate-antagonists will need more folate. Some seizure medications are folate antagonists and greatly increase the body's needs for folate.
Inadequate Intake of Folate
Women who do not get adequate folate shortly before or during pregnancy place the baby at risk for deformities. The neural tube in fetuses is needed for proper development of the central nervous system, spinal cord and brain. Low folate intake in pregnant women was associated with a two-fold increase in premature delivery and low infant birth weight in a 2005 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
Meeting Requirements of Folate
Approximately 60 percent of pregnant women are aware of correct folic acid recommendations, which implies that nearly 40 percent of women are not actively striving to reach folic acid goals and placing their infants at risk. If you are about to become pregnant or are pregnant, talk to your doctor. Your doctor will likely prescribe prenatal vitamins or other supplements to help you meet recommendations. A registered dietitian may also be able to help you get adequate nutrition during pregnancy.
References
- "Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology"; Promotion of Folate for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects; C. Bower, et al; November 2005
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Dietary and Serum Folate: Their Influence on the Outcome of Pregnancy; T.O. Scholl; April 1996
- "Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology"; Marica Nelms, et al; 2007
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Dietary Folate Equivalents: Interpretation and Application; C.W. Suitor, et al; January 2000
- "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly"; Recommendations for the Use of Folic Acid to Reduce the Number of Cases of Spina Bifida and Other Neural Tube Defects; Vernon Houk, M.D., et al; September 1992
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