Facts About Folic Acid

Folic acid is the chemical name for the manmade form of vitamin B-9. The naturally occurring form of vitamin B-9 is called folate. Despite the distinction between the terms folic acid and folate, many people use these terms interchangeably when referring to vitamin B-9. Folic acid and folate perform the same functions in your body, supporting several critical metabolic and biological processes.

Enzymatic Activity

Folic acid is an essential enzymatic co-factor, meaning it facilitates the action of specialized proteins called enzymes, which drive critical biochemical reactions in your body. Folic acid-dependent enzymes participate in the production of genetic material, or DNA, for new cells. Stem cells in your bone marrow that produce red blood cells cannot function properly without an adequate supply of vitamin B-9. Similarly, high levels of folic acid are needed to support the rapid rate of new cell production in a developing baby during the early weeks of pregnancy.

Conditions Associated with a Deficiency

By slowing the rate of red blood cell production in your bone marrow, a folic acid deficiency typically leads to anemia. Your red blood cell count decreases to an abnormally low level and the cells produced appear abnormally large under the microscope. A vitamin B-9 deficiency during the first two months of pregnancy increases the risk of nervous system birth defects, including incomplete development of the baby's brain or spinal cord. Many doctors recommend that women who may become pregnant take folic acid supplements to help prevent these birth defects.

Recommended Daily Allowance

The recommended daily allowance for folic acid varies, depending on your age. Among children ages 1 through 13, daily requirements range from 150 to 300 mcg. After age 13 and throughout adulthood, your folic acid requirement increases to 400 mcg daily. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, your daily folic acid requirements are 600 mcg and 500 mcg, respectively. The safe upper limit for supplemental folic acid intake among adults is 1,000 mcg daily.

Dietary Sources

Folic acid is so named because early researchers studying the chemical noted its abundance in leafy vegetables; "folium" is the Latin term for leaf. Vegetables rich in folate include spinach, broccoli, lentils, crowder beans, okra, pinto beans, asparagus, soybeans and Brussels sprouts. Since 1991, food manufacturers in the United States have added folic acid to virtually all refined grain products, along with thiamine, niacin and riboflavin. This enrichment means that numerous grain products contain high concentrations of folic acid, including ready-to-eat cereal, commercial bread and baked goods, white rice and pasta. Refined flours you purchase for baking also typically contain added folic acid. Oranges, bananas, grapefruit and pineapple contain low to moderate amounts of vitamin B-9.