All You Ever Wanted To Know About Folic Acid - Condensed

What Is Folic Acid And It’s Benefits

Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9, Folacin and Folate, are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9, which is essential to numerous bodily functions ranging from nucleotide synthesis to the remethylation of homocysteine. Folic acid, required by children and adults, especially during periods of rapid cell division and growth is essential to the production of healthy red blood cells and prevention of anemia. Folic acid is the more stable form; it rarely occurs naturally in foods or the human body but is the form most often found in supplements such as prenatal and multi vitamins as well as fortified foods.  Folates are found naturally occurring in foods, in many chemical forms and metabolically as active forms in the body.

We have all heard for many years now that folic acid is critical for pregnant and nursing women, the reason this is such a critical vitamin at this juncture is that folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells and especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy or pregnancy. Folate is necessary for DNA synthesis as well as for the replication of DNA, thus deficiency of Folate hinders DNA synthesis and cell division.

Natural Sources Of Folic Acid

Folate is available in foods such as leafy vegetables (spinach is a great source), turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas, fortified cereals, sunflower seeds and certain other fruits and vegetables. Liver and baker’s yeast are also good sources. Some breakfast cereals contain fortification from 25% to 100% of the RDA for folic acid:

• Fortified breakfast cereal, 1 cup = 200-400 mcg
• Orange juice from concentrate, 6 oz = 83 mcg
• Spinach, cooked, ½ cup = 132 mcg
• Asparagus, cooked, ½ cup or 6 spears = 134 mcg
• Lentils, cooked, ½ cup = 179 mcg
• Garbanzo beans, cooked, ½ cup = 141 mcg
• Lima beans, cooked, ½ cup = 78 mcg
• Bread, 1 slice = 20 mcg
• Pasta, cooked, 1 cup = 60 mcg
• Rice cooked, 1 cup = 60 mcg

Because of the difference in bioavailability between supplemented folic acid and the different forms of folate found in food, the Dietary Folate Equivalency (DFE) system was established. 1 DFE is defined as 1 ug (microgram) of dietary folate, or 0.6 ug of folic acid supplement which is reduced to 0.5 ug if taken on an empty stomach.

The recommended dietary (daily) allowance of Folate in dietary equivalents is as follows:

Is Folic Acid Deficiency Possible

A severe folic acid deficiency is relatively rare but possible. It can cause a type of anemia - macrocytic anemia. It can also cause tiredness, difficulty sleeping, depression, irritability, headache, hair loss, nausea, diarrhea and nerve damage.

People who suffer from alcoholism, people with malabsorption diseases such as coeliac disease or Crohn’s disease as well as people on certain medications (oral contraceptives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and certain others) are susceptible to severe deficiency. If you fall into one of these categories you should consult your doctor about adding folic acid supplementation to your diet.

Is Supplementation Necessary

Supplementation of folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects, cleft palate, limb defects and urinary tract defects; therefore many developed countries have implemented mandatory folic acid fortification for both sexes as it can also have an effect on the men who are fathering the fetus.

Folic acid supplementation is also thought to reduce the risk of stroke, depression, cancer, macular degeneration, and alzheimers disease while improving fertility as well as mental agility.

Folic acid is added to the flour in most Middle Eastern countries, Indonesia, Mongolia and most of the former Soviet Republics, Morocco and several other countries have agreed to begin fortifying but not yet implemented it. In the UK has recommended fortification but to date no EU country has yet mandated fortification. Australia and New Zealand have jointly agreed to fortification, while in the USA the FDA is requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice and other grain products in an attempt to reduce birth defects.

Side Effects Of Folic Acid

There are no specific side effects associated with normal folic acid supplementation. However, very large doses (5000  - 10000 mcg) may pose some risks, especially for people with hormone-related cancers, such as breast or prostate cancer. Extremely high doses have also been known to cause nausea, irritability, flatulence as well as allergic reactions causing an itchy rash. An upper daily limit of 1000 mcg has been recommended for adults.

Final Thoughts

Since researchers have found no particular risk of toxicity by over supplementing folic acid, and since it is proven to be such an important vitamin for all people in every stage of life, supplementation of this vitamin to insure adequate intake is highly recommended, however it is still advisable to be careful to not over-supplement as this can pose some risks.