What is folic acid?

Folic acid is the synthetic (man-made) form of the B vitamin folate. The form of the vitamin that is naturally present in foods is called folate. To find out more about the difference between folic acid and food folate, click here.

What are the health benefits of folic acid?

• It contributes to overall health and vitality.
• It can lower the risk for neural tube defects.
• It may lower risk for:
  • heart disease.
  • certain cancers.
  • other birth defects.
• It's good for men and women of all ages!

Even though there are several ways to get 400 micrograms of folic acid every day:

• the easiest and most convenient way to make sure you get the recommended amount is to take a supplement or eat a super-fortified cereal every day.

Folic acid can be found in:

	Supplements Multivitamins Fortified foods

What are fortified foods?

They are foods that have folic acid added to them and include enriched cereal-grain products.

	Enriched rice Enriched bread, rolls, buns Crackers, cookies made with enriched flour Enriched pasta Tortillas made with enriched flour Fortified cereals

Why is it important that ALL women and teenage girls capable of becoming pregnant get 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, even if not planning a pregnancy?

• Half of the pregnancies in the US are unplanned
• Taking folic acid will ensure that even if you become pregnant unexpectedly you have already reduced your risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect by 50 to 70%.
• Two-thirds of women in the US fail to consume 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.

The Institute of Medicine recommends: All women who can become pregnant should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid every day through folic acid supplements and/or fortified foods, while eating food folate from a varied diet.

Can women get too much folic acid?

• Folic acid has no known toxic level. If a woman of reproductive age ate a bowl of super-fortified cereal, took 400 micrograms of folic acid in a supplement, and ate foods rich in folate every day, she would not have a problem with excess folic acid.
• However, it is recommended that women consume no more than 1000 micrograms of synthetic folic acid (the form found in fortified foods and in vitamin supplements). Large amounts of folic acid have been found to delay detection of vitamin B12 deficiency.

What about food folate?

• The natural folate found in food is usually called food folate. It is not as easily absorbed by the body as folic acid, but it still provides many benefits.
• Food folate can help protect against heart disease and colon cancer. Additionally, a diet high in food folate is usually low in fat and cholesterol and high in fiber.
• Eating these heart healthy foods can contribute to overall health and well being.

Where can I find food folate?

Food folate is found in a variety of foods such as:

	Orange juice Strawberries Dark green leafy vegetables cooked (spinach, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, turnip greens) Brussels sprouts, broccoli Asparagus Avocado Beans (black, kidney, navy, pinto) Chick peas (Garbanzo beans)

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			Folic Acid Every Day Send comments to webmaster at vbrad@ufl.edu Last updated 15 Dec 2000 About this site