Folic acid and iron are both nutrients that play important roles in red blood cell production. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a B vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits and legumes. Iron is an essential mineral found in animal products, legumes, spinach, and fortified cereals. Deficiencies in folic acid and iron can cause potentially serious symptoms.
Function
Folate and its synthetic form, folic acid, play crucial roles in the production of new cells, an especially important function during pregnancy and infancy. The body needs folate to produce DNA and RNA, metabolize homocysteine and make healthy red blood cells. Iron also plays an important role in red blood cell production. The body needs iron to produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to organs and tissues, and myoglobin, a protein that supplies oxygen to muscles.
Food Sources
Food sources of folate include beef liver, spinach, turnip greens, lettuce, dry beans and peas, orange juice and peanuts. Many fortified cereals and enriched rice, noodles and breads contain folic acid. Animal products such as chicken liver, beef, oysters, clams, turkey and chicken provide good sources of heme iron, a form easily absorbed by the body. Fortified cereals, dry beans and peas, lentils, spinach, raisins and tofu provide good sources of nonheme iron. Consuming nonheme iron with a source of vitamin C promotes better absorption of the iron.
Daily Intake
Adolescents and adults ages 14 and over should get 400 mcg of folate per day, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Pregnant women should get 600 mcg of folate per day, and lactating women should get 500 mcg of folate per day. Teenage girls and women of childbearing age need more iron than men. Teenage girls ages 14 to 18 should get 15 mg of iron per day, while teenage boys ages 14 to 18 need only 11 mg per day, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Women ages 19 to 50 need 18 mg of iron per day, and men ages 19 and over and women ages 51 and over need only 8 mg per day.
Deficiency Symptoms
Iron deficiency anemia, the most common form of anemia, affects as much as 30 percent of the world's population, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. As much as 80 percent of the population may have iron deficiency. Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include weakness and fatigue, difficulty maintaining body temperature, decreased immune function, inflamed or sore tongue, difficulty concentrating and decreased performance at work and school. Folate deficiency in pregnant women can increase the risk of low birth weight, prematurity and neural tube defects in infants. Folate deficiency in adults causes symptoms similar to iron deficiency, including weakness diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, irritability, sore tongue and forgetfulness. Folate deficiency may also cause heart palpitations, behavioral disorders and increased homocysteine levels, a risk factor for heart disease.
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