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Folic acid is one of the important micronutrients necessary for our body. It is a water-soluble B complex vitamin and is also called folate, folacin and vitamin B9. Folate is an essential vitamin that occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, found in fortified foods and supplements (1).
Functions in which folic acid is involved in the body (2)
How much folic acid do we require?
Folate intake is expressed as dietary folate equivalents (DFEs) that is adjusted for the greater amount of absorption of folic acid compared to folate naturally found in foods. Folate 1 μg equals 0.6 μg folic acid consumed with food or 0.5 μg folic acid taken in the form of supplements on an empty stomach (3).
The RDA for folate per day is
Adults | 400 ug |
Children, 1-3 Years
4-8 Years 9-13 years 14-18 years |
150 ug
200 ug 300 ug 400 ug |
Pregnant | 600 ug |
Lactating woman | 500 ug |
For women who are in the age group of becoming pregnant, the dietary reference intake (DRI) recommends 400 μg of folic acid/day from fortified foods and supplements on top of a diet which includes a variety of foods to decrease the risk of neural tube defect (NTD) (4,5).
25 Foods that good sources of folate (6)
Fruits rich in folate
Vegetables rich in folate
Nuts and seeds rich in folate
Animal products which are sources of folate
Beans and lentils that are rich sources of folate
Deficiency of folic acid
Folate deficiency could lead to numerous health problems (2)
Among these health issues which arise because of folic acid deficiency megaloblastic anemia is the most common.
Importance of folic acid during pregnancy
Folic acid is an important nutrient for women who may become pregnant. A woman’s blood levels of folate fall during pregnancy due to an increased maternal RBC synthesis in the first half of pregnancy and fetal demands in the second half.
The first four weeks of pregnancy (when most women do not even realize that they are pregnant) require folic acid for proper development of brain, skull and spinal cord of the fetus. Serious birth defects like neural tube defects (NTD)are less likely to occur when women take 0.4 mg folic acid daily.
References
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ramb/v62n1/0104-4230-ramb-62-01-0090.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050524/
https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/news/folic-acid-supplementation.pdf
https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/4/1/123/4644556