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.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are birth defects that occur when the neural tube doesn't close properly.
The neural tube is the part of the baby that forms the baby's brain and spinal cord. If the neural tube doesn't develop properly, mild to severe birth defects can occur.
Spina bifida is the most common type of NTD.
Who is at risk?
All women and teenage girls who can become pregnant are at risk. 95% of all NTDs occur in women with no personal or family history of NTDs.
However, NTDs are more common among women of certain Hispanic subpopulations, and among women of Northern China, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Factors that may put you at even higher risk are:
Race/ethnicity/geographical location
Use of anti-seizure medications
Maternal insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Maternal obesity
Exposure to high temperatures early in pregnancy (such as hot tub use or high fever)
A previous NTD affected pregnancy. (A woman who has already had an NTD affected pregnancy has a 20 times greater chance of having another child with an NTD than a woman who has never been affected.)
What are the costs associated with NTDs?
The average total lifetime cost for each infant born with spina bifida is $532,000. This cost is an average; many children with spina bifida will incur costs of well over $1,000,000. Even more than the monetary costs are the potential emotional impact and time required of the family for daily care.
How prevalent are NTDs?
Approximately 4000 pregnancies in the US are affected by NTDs every year.
That's more than 10 every day!
How can I decrease my risk?
Scientists and doctors have found that taking 400 micrograms of folic acid every day reduces the risk of NTDs.
How much protection does folic acid provide?
If taken prior to pregnancy and during the first three months of pregnancy, 400 micrograms of folic acid every day can reduce your risk of having a baby with an NTD by 50-70%.
More than half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned, so it is important that you take folic acid every day. Once you find out you are pregnant, it is too late to reduce your risk.
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.
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 cerealevery day.
Following this recommendation will ensure that if you become pregnant you have already reduced your risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.
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
Are women getting enough folic acid?
Even though there are several ways to get 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, two-thirds of women in the US fail to consume an adequate amount.
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, 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)
Folic Acid Every DaySend comments to webmaster at vbrad@ufl.edu Last updated 15 Dec 2000About this site
