Folic acid, one of the B vitamins, is important for the normal development of an unborn child (fetus). Folic acid and its closely related compounds, folates, are needed for the production of red and white blood cells and platelets, the formation of genetic material (DNA) in cells, and growth.
Only a small amount of folic acid is stored in the body. So to avoid a deficiency, you must get folic acid regularly from food or folic acid supplements. Folate, the natural form of folic acid, is found in foods such as liver, leafy green vegetables, beans, oranges, and eggs. It is also found in grains enriched with folic acid.
Taking supplements of folic acid before and during pregnancy can reduce the chance of having a baby with birth defects, such as spina bifida.
Folic acid is found in vitamin supplements and folic-acid-fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and breads. The natural form of folic acid is called folate. Foods high in folate include liver, citrus fruits, and dark greens like spinach. Read food labels to see how much folic acid or folate the food contains.
Folic acid and folate are measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). Here is a list of some foods that contain folic acid or folate.
Food | Serving size | Amount |
---|---|---|
Fortified (with 25% of daily requirement) breakfast cereal | 1 cup | 100 mcg (micrograms) DFE or more |
Spinach, cooked | ½ cup | 131 mcg DFE |
Beef liver, cooked | 3 oz | 215 mcg DFE |
Frozen peas, boiled | 1 cup | 47 mcg DFE |
Asparagus, boiled | 4 spears | 89 mcg DFE |
Enriched white rice, cooked | ½ cup | 90 mcg DFE |
Frozen broccoli, cooked | ½ cup | 52 mcg DFE |
Avocado, raw | ½ cup | 59 mcg DFE |
Orange | 1 small | 29 mcg DFE |
Bread, white | 1 slice | 43 mcg DFE |
Crab, Dungeness | 3 oz | 36 mcg DFE |
Folic acid is one of the B vitamins your body needs for good health. The vitamin is also called folate.
Getting enough of this vitamin prevents folate deficiency anemia. It also prevents certain birth defects.
Most people just say "folic acid" for either form of this vitamin.
Folic acid is measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). The recommended amounts of folic acid for women are:
Women who don't get enough folic acid before and during pregnancy are more likely to have a child born with a birth defect, such as:
Even if a woman eats a well balanced diet, she may not get the extra folic acid she needs to prevent birth defects unless she also takes a supplement. So experts say that all women who are able to get pregnant should take a daily supplement that has 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid.
Some women need even higher doses.
Follow your doctor's advice about how to get higher amounts of folic acid. Don't just take more multivitamins. You could get too much of the other substances that are in the multivitamin.
Even if you aren't planning to get pregnant, your doctor may recommend a daily supplement.
Many pregnancies aren't planned. And the birth defects that folic acid can prevent start to form in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. This is often before a woman even knows she's pregnant.
So you can see why getting enough daily folic acid—even before you get pregnant—is so important. If you are pregnant and you have not been taking a vitamin containing folic acid, begin taking it right away.
During pregnancy, you should get 0.4 mg (400 mcg) to 0.8 mg (800 mcg) of folic acid each day. This amount is found in most once-a-day multivitamins. If you need more, work with your doctor. Don't try to do it on your own by taking more multivitamins.
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