Can Folic Acid Help Improve Your Mood?

One of the vitamins in green leafy vegetables, folic acid, is needed for proper brain function and also plays a role in emotional well-being. Folic acid is part of the B-complex vitamins that not only help prevent mood disorders, but can fight dementias and disorders of your central nervous system. Despite these potential benefits, if you have true clinical depression, consult your doctor before taking folic acid.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is also known as folate, folacin or vitamin B-9. Folate is the naturally occurring vitamin found in foods like liver, beans, citrus and dark green leafy vegetables, while folic acid is the synthetic form sold in tablets or powder form that is easier for your body to absorb. Folic acid works with vitamins B-6 and B-12 to control levels of the amino acid homocysteine in your blood. This is important for the brain because elevated levels of homocysteine are linked to depression and Alzheimer's disease.

Younger Populations

Research on the link between folic acid levels and mood disorders in children and young and middle-aged adults is mixed, with some showing a benefit and others no effect. Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan conducted a study on 3,067 boys and 3,450 girls aged 12 to 15 using a diet history questionnaire. The results, published in "Psychosomatic Medicine" in October 2010, found low consumption of folic acid caused an increased risk for depression of up to 40 percent.

Pregnancy and Mood Disorders

Low levels of folic acid are associated with depression during pregnancy and in postpartum depression, a serious condition that occurs in some woman months after giving birth. A U.K. study at the University of Bristol enrolled 6,809 pregnant women that relied on self-reported folic acid supplementation. As researchers reported in the July 2011 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition," folic acid supplements during pregnancy protected against depression 21 months postpartum. The effect was more pronounced in women with a specific genotype.

The Elderly

A review of studies conducted over 35 years by neurologist E. H. Reynolds, published in the "British Medical Journal" in 2002, concluded that folate deficiency correlated with depression and cognitive decline in a large segment of the elderly population. However, a 2010 study in the "British Journal of Psychiatry" found that neither folic acid with vitamin B-12 nor physical activity was effective in reducing depressive symptoms among residents of an assisted-living community.

Considerations

Folic acid supplements are generally recognized as safe. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal distress, with less common reactions including insomnia, confusion, depression and impaired judgment. The recommended daily allowance is 400 mcg for adults and higher in pregnant women. Check with your doctor before taking folic acid supplements greater than 15 mg per day.