Folate, a water-soluble B vitamin present in green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and legumes, plays an important role in cell growth, DNA and RNA production, red blood cell production and homocysteine metabolism. Many dietary supplements, multivitamins and fortified foods contain folic acid, the synthetic form of folate.
History
The fortification of foods with folic acid did not begin until the 1990s, when mounting scientific evidence suggested a link between low folate levels in pregnant women and the risk of neural tube birth defects such as spinal bifida and anencephaly. In 1992, the U.S. Public Health Service formally recognized this link, and recommended a daily intake of 400 mcg of folic acid for women who may become pregnant. Because of concerns that folic acid supplements would discriminate against poor women, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began to consider food fortification as a better way to ensure that women of child-bearing age received sufficient folic acid. In 1993, the FDA proposed new standards for enriched grains, flours, pasta and rice requiring the addition of folic acid. These new rules on folic acid fortification were published in 1996 and implemented by 1998.
Effectiveness
The folic acid food fortification program has successfully increased folic acid intake, raising the average daily intake by about 100 mcg, notes the Harvard School of Public Health. This increased intake has contributed to a 25 to 50 percent reduction in the number of American babies born with neural tube defects.
Intake Recommendations
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get 400 mcg of folic acid per day and pregnant women 600 mcg per day. The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting daily intake of folic acid from supplements and fortified foods to 1,000 mcg per day. Excess folic acid intake can mask the signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency, making this potentially serious condition hard to detect. Too much folic acid may also accelerate the growth of existing tumors, notes the Harvard School of Public Health. Naturally occurring folate from foods does not pose a health concern.
Folic Acid Content of Common Foods
Some meal replacement bars contain high amounts of folic acid, such as the Bellybar and the Nitro-Tech Bar, which contain 800 mcg of folic acid each. You can get 400 mcg of folic acid from one PowerBar or one Luna Bar. A single serving of Kellogg's Complete Wheat Bran Flakes, Kellogg's Product 19, Kellogg's Special K or General Mills Total provides 394 mcg of folic acid, a single serving of General Mills Total Raisin Bran provides 289 mcg of folic acid and a serving of Kashi Heart to Heart provides 386 mcg of folic acid. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends avoiding foods heavily fortified with folic acid if you already take a multivitamin containing folic acid.
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