Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the man-made form available in supplements and added to fortified foods. Folic acid helps maintain new cells in the body, especially during periods of rapid cell division and growth. Folic acid is necessary to produce DNA and RNA, the building blocks of all cells. Most important, folic acid taken during pregnancy can prevent birth defects. Therefore, all women of childbearing age require daily folic acid.
Why Folic Acid During Pregnancy
According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, a significant reduction in neural tube defects emerged following the initiation of the folic acid fortification program in 1998. Neural tube defects are birth defects that result in malformations of the spine, skull and brain. Neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy, often before women even know they are pregnant. Women who are of childbearing age are advised to take folic acid supplements in addition to eating folate-rich foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women who take the recommended daily dose of folic acid starting at least one month before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy reduce their baby's risk of neural tube defects by 50 to 70 percent.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
When you have enough folic acid in your body before and during pregnancy, you can prevent serious birth defects. The Institute of Medicine established daily folate intakes to meet the nutritional requirements of most individuals. The recommended dietary allowance for folate is expressed in dietary folate equivalents, a term developed to help account for the discrepancy in absorption of folate and folic acid. The recommended folate intake for men and women over the age of 14 is 400 ug per day. Pregnant women require 600 ug, while women who breast-feed need 500 ug of folate daily. Women of childbearing age need at least 400 to 800 mg of folic acid every day, even if they are not planning to become pregnant.
Folate-Rich Foods
Leafy greens such as spinach, broccoli and arugula; citrus fruits and juices; legumes like lentils, dried beans and peas; whole grains such as wheat bran; and some meats such as poultry, pork and shellfish are naturally rich in folate. Due to the fact that almost half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, the Food and Drug Administration implemented a folic acid fortification program. To help meet your daily folic acid needs, food manufacturers add folic acid to enriched grains such as breakfast cereal, bread, pasta and rice, as well as juice. Certain breakfast cereals must contain at least 20 percent of the daily value of folic acid per serving, and certain products contain as much as 100 percent.
Folic Acid Supplements
Folic acid is best absorbed when taken in its synthetic form, either as a fortified food or supplements. Most women are not able to meet their folic acid needs by consuming folate-rich or folic acid fortified foods alone. Folate from the foods you eat can be lost during storage and destroyed by cooking. Additionally, your body absorbs all the folic acid in a supplement but only some of the naturally occurring folate in the food you eat. It is therefore recommended that all women of childbearing age take a multivitamin with folic acid or a folic acid supplement every day, in addition to consuming a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Deficiency
Symptoms of a folic acid deficiency are subtle and can result from a variety of medical conditions. It is important to consult your physician for an evaluation of these symptoms. The most common signs include diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, headache, heart palpitations, irritability and forgetfulness. It is important to take folic acid even if you do not experience symptoms, as a deficiency can disrupt your baby's early embryonic development.
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