Raw Broccoli & Folic Acid

If you turn up your nose at the thought of eating raw broccoli, you're depriving your body of a vegetable that supplies nutrients known to decrease the risk of cancer, strengthen your bones and promote regularity. Raw broccoli is high in vitamin C, fiber and calcium, according to the American Cancer Society. It also contains folate, the nutrient that in its synthetic form is known as folic acid.

History

Though the green cruciferous vegetable known as broccoli has existed for at least two millennia, American farmers have only grown it since the 1920s. In the 1990s, scientists discovered that broccoli contains compounds that are believed to help prevent cancer -- a finding that was followed by increased scientific scrutiny of the vegetable's healthful benefits. The American Cancer Society states that folic acid is one of the substances found in broccoli that may have cancer-fighting potential.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is a synthetic version of folate, one of the B vitamins, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. It is also sometimes referred to as vitamin B-9. Its name is derived from "folium," the Latin word for leaf. This is a reference to the presence of folate in a wide variety of leafy green vegetables. Broccoli, being a natural food source of B-9, contains folate, rather than folic acid.

Functions of Folate

Folate helps your body create new cells and is needed to create RNA and DNA, which contain your genetic code. Folate is important in producing red blood cells, and a deficiency of this nutrient can cause megaloblastic anemia. This condition causes your red blood cell production to slow down, resulting in the creation of abnormally large, immature red blood cells called megaloblasts. Folate deficiencies in pregnant women can result in neural tube defects in their unborn children. Spina bifida, too, has been linked to folate deficiency.

Folate in Broccoli

The amount of folate you will obtain from eating broccoli varies. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a cup of chopped, raw broccoli contains 57 mcg of folate, while the same amount of chopped, frozen broccoli contains 105 mcg. The recommended dietary allowance for folate is 400 mcg for most people over the age of 14. Boiling broccoli reduces its folate content by 56 percent, although steaming it results in "no significant decrease in folate content," according to a 2002 study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition."