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Are you getting it?
Folic acid should be on "America's Most Wanted." Why? Because of all the vitamin deficiencies across the country, folic acid is the most common.
Part of the B vitamin complex, it does some incredible things like helping to build your muscles, keeping your body strong, and helping to prevent heart attacks, cancer, and even birth defects. Folic acid is essential for the proper development and division of red blood cells, for the creation of RNA and DNA, as well as for protein synthesis.
Also known as vitamin B-9, folate, folacin, and pteroryglutamic acid, folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained through your diet.
Quick Facts About Folic Acid
- RDA is 180 to 200 micrograms (mcg) per day for healthy adults, and 400 mcg for pregnant women.
- Some foods rich in folic acid are beans, brewer's yeast, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables like spinach, liver, nuts, rice, and oranges.
- Some signs of folic acid deficiency are anemia, diarrhea, fatigue, and weakness.
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You May Need More Folic Acid if You Have (or Have Had)
- History of alcohol or drug abuse
- Chronic malnutrition
- Portion of your gastrointestinal tract removed
- Recent injury or severe burns
- Recent surgery
Or if You're
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- Taking oral contraceptives or estrogen
- Over age 55
- Under excessive stress
What Works Best -- and Worst -- with Folic Acid
- B vitamins compete in your intestines for absorption, so never take high doses of a single B vitamin without increasing the amount you take of all other B vitamins. For example, if you're taking double the RDA of folic acid, you should take double the RDA of all other B vitamins.
- Tobacco decreases absorption, so smokers may require supplemental folic acid.
Forms Available
- Individual supplements
- B complex supplements are available in a wide range of potencies
- A multivitamin supplement
- As brewer's yeast in a low-potency food supplement
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Chemical Forms
- Folic acid
- Folate triglutamate
- Folacin
Comments on Folic Acid
- Folate and folacin describe compounds with similar nutritional properties and chemical structures to folic acid (PGA, or pteroylglutamic acid).
- Your body converts folate triglutamate into folic acid before it is absorbed.
- The biologically active form of folic acid is tetrahydrofolate.
- Tetrahydrofolate is required for normal synthesis of DNA, amino acids, and nucleoproteins.
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Known Benefits of Folic Acid
- Aids the production of red blood cells
- Prevents anemia due to folic acid deficiency
- Essential for proper growth and development
- Prevents birth defects due to deficiency by regulating prenatal development of the neural tube
- Helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
- Reduces incidence of coronary heart disease by lowering levels of homocysteine
Unproven Claims
- Reduces risk developing colon cancer
- Reduces risk of developing lung cancer when used with cobalamin (vitamin B-12)
- Helps treat depression in folate-deficient individuals
- Boosts the immune system in folate-deficient individuals
- May lower the risk of developing cervical cancer
Folic Acid May Prevent These Signs of Deficiency
- Anemia:
- Bruising due to decreased platelet count
- Pallor
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Faintness
- Ringing in ears
- Vertigo
- Rapid pulse rate
- Inflammation of the tongue and mouth
- Cracked scaly lips
- Diarrhea
Many of these symptoms are similar to vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) deficiency, but folate deficiency lacks neurological disorders.
Recommended Dosage Range for Folic Acid
- Our pharmacists suggest that healthy adults may take between 400 to 800 mcg daily to supplement a well-balanced diet.
- RDA values were set as the minimum needed to offset deficiency or disease, not as an actual value needed for optimum health.
- In the United States, the average consumption of folic acid is 280 to 300 mcg per day.
- Consult your physician before starting any high-dose supplement regimen.
Dietary Sources
Food Tips
- As much as 75% of folate can be lost in cooking water.
- Don't overcook foods, as the heat from cooking also destroys folate.
| Foods High in Folic Acid | Serving Size | Amount of Folic Acid | Units |
|---|
Asparagus, cooked
Avocado
Black beans
Black-eyed peas
Chick peas
Collard greens, cooked
Kidney beans
Lentils
Lima beans, baby
Liver, beef
Liver, chicken
Navy beans
Spinach, raw
Spinach, cooked
Wheat germ
|
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1/2 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
3 ounces
3 ounces
1 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/4 cup
|
132
56
256
123
282
65
229
358
273
200
660
255
54
131
82
|
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
mcg
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When and How to Take Folic Acid
- Swallow tablets whole with a glass of water.
- Take with food or after meals to enhance absorption.
What to Take with Folic Acid
- If you take folate to treat anemia, also take cobalamin (vitamin B-12) to prevent the chance of neurological damage. Folate and cobalamin can hide the one another's deficiency.
- Iron deficiency may cause symptoms of folate deficiency.
Storage
- Keep folic acid in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and air.
- Don't freeze folic acid.
- Don't store folic acid in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Heat and moisture may make it less effective.
Recommended Daily Allowance
| AGE/GROUP | RDA |
|---|
Infants
0 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 3 years
4 to 6 years
7 to 10 years
Males
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Females
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Pregnant
Lactating
1 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
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mcg (micrograms)
25
35
50
75
100
150
200
200
200
200
150
180
180
180
180
400
280
260
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Warnings
Consult a physician before use or do not use folic acid if:- You are about to start a high-dose supplement program
- You have pernicious anemia. A dose 800 mcg or greater of folic acid without also ingesting cobalamin may produce neurological disorders and damage.
Folic Acid May Have Interactions with
- Alcohol: has an anti-folate effect, and alcoholism may be the major cause of folate deficiency in the United States.
- Anticonvulsants: a small percentage of patients taking diphenylhyntoin develop folate deficiency and megloblastic anemia.
- Aspirin: a correlation exists between regular use of aspirin and lower blood levels of folate.
- Barbiturates: can cause folate deficiency and megloblastic changes in the bone marrow over the long term. Folate also lessens the action of the barbiturates.
- Corticosteroids: may deplete folate levels. Long-term use can cause folate deficiency and megloblastic changes in bone marrow.
- Folate antagonists: are anti-cancer drugs that resemble folate. They interfere with folate pathways.
- Methotrexate, nitrofurantoin, para-aminosalicylates, phenytoin (Dilantin), pyrimethamine: can cause folate deficiency and megloblastic changes in the bone marrow over the long term.
- Sulfasalazine: lessens the absorption of folate. Long-term use can cause folate deficiency and megloblastic changes in the bone marrow.
Side Effects
- Masks vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) deficiency which may result in neurological disorder. This is seen in pernicious anemia suffers who take 800 mcg or greater of folate without ingesting cobalamin.
- Doses larger than 400 mg per day for five months and 10 mg per day for five years may increase the likelihood that you will experience negative effects. However, keep in mind that these doses are about one thousand times more than the RDA.
Signs of Overdose
- Euphoria
- Agitation
- Hyperactivity
There have been no reports of lethal doses of folate taken orally. Overdose signs occur at doses many thousands of times above the RDA.What to Do in Case of Overdose
If you are concerned about side effects of folic acid, contact your healthcare provider.
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Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Machlin, LJ.Handbook of Vitamins, Second Ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY 1991.
- 2. Basu, TK and Dickerson, JW.Vitamins in Human Health and Disease. CAB INTL, UK 1996.
- 3. Groff, JL, Gropper, SS, Hunt, SM.Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, Second Ed. West Pub. Co. St. Paul, MN 1995.
- 4. Werbach, MR.Nutritional Influences on Illness, Second Ed. Third Line Press. Tarzana, CA 1996.
- 5. Meletis, CD and Jacobs, T.The Practitioner's Guide to Drug-Nutrient and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions. 1996.
- 6. Bendich, A and Deckelbaum, RJ.Preventive Nutrition: The Comprehensive Guide for Health Professionals. Humana Press. Totowa, NJ 1997.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Brown WT; Cohen IL; Fisch GS; Wolf-Schein EG; Jenkins VA; Malik MN; Jenkins EC.High dose folic acid treatment of fragile (X) males. Am J Med Genet 1986 Jan-Feb;23(1-2):263-71.
- 2. Campbell NR.How safe are folic acid supplements?. Arch Intern Med, 156(15):1638-44 1996 Aug 12-26.
- 3. Czeizel AE; Dudas I.Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med 1992 Dec 24;327(26):1832-5.
- 4. Froster-Iskenius U; Bodeker K; Oepen T; Matthes R; Piper U; Schwinger E.Folic acid treatment in males and females with fragile-(X)-syndrome. Am J Med Genet 1986 Jan-Feb;23(1-2):273-89.
- 5. Hagerman RJ; Jackson AW; Levitas A; Braden M; McBogg P; Kemper M; McGavran L; Berry R; Matus I; Hagerman PJ.Oral folic acid versus placebo in the treatment of males with the fragile X syndrome. Am J Med Genet 1986 Jan-Feb;23(1-2):241-62.
- 6. Jennings E.Folic acid as a cancer-preventing agent. Med Hypotheses, 45(3):297-303 1995 Sep.
- 7. Kirke PN; Molloy AM; Daly LE; Burke H; Weir DG; Scott JM.Maternal plasma folate and vitamin B12 are independent risk factors for neural tube defects. Q J Med 1993 Nov;86(11):703-8.
- 8. Lawrence VA; Loewenstein JE; Eichner ER.Aspirin and folate binding: in vivo and in vitro studies of serum binding and urinary excretion of endogenous folate. J Lab Clin Med 1984 Jun;103(6):944-8.
- 9. Locksmith GJ; Duff P.Preventing neural tube defects: the importance of periconceptional folic acid supplements. Obstet Gynecol, 91(6):1027-34 1998 Jun.
- 10. Oakley GP Jr; Adams MJ; Dickinson CM.More folic acid for everyone, now. J Nutr, 126(3):751S-755S 1996 Mar.
- 11. Pietrzik K; Br?nstrup A.The role of homocysteine, folate and other B-vitamins in the development of atherosclerosis. Arch Latinoam Nutr, 1997 Jun, 47:2 Suppl 1, 9-12.
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