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FOLATE/FOLIC ACID
Folate: What is it?Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food.
Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate that is found in supplements and added to fortified foods.
Folate gets its name from the Latin word "folium" for leaf. A key observation of researcher Lucy Wills nearly 70 years ago led to the identification
of folate as the nutrient needed to prevent the anemia of pregnancy. Dr. Wills demonstrated that the anemia could be corrected by a yeast extract.
Folate was identified as the corrective substance in yeast extract in the late 1930s, and was extracted from spinach leaves in 1941.
Folate
helps produce and maintain new cells. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell
division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folate is needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. It also helps prevent changes
to DNA that may lead to cancer. Both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood cells
and prevent anemia. Folate is also essential for the metabolism of homocysteine, and helps maintain
normal levels of this amino acid.
What foods provide folate?Leafy green vegetables (like spinach
and turnip greens), fruits (like citrus fruits and juices), and dried beans and peas are all natural sources of folate.
In 1996, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published regulations requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas,
rice, and other grain products. Since cereals and grains are widely consumed in the U.S., these products have become a very important contributor of folic acid to the
American diet. The following table suggests a variety of dietary sources of folate.
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Table 1: Selected Food Sources of Folate and Folic Acid
| Food | Micrograms | % DV^ |
|---|
| *Breakfast
cereals fortified with 100% of the DV, 1 cup |
400 |
100 |
| Beef liver,
cooked, braised, 3 ounces |
185 |
45 |
| Cowpeas (blackeyes), immature,
cooked, boiled, 1 cup |
105 |
25 |
| *Breakfast cereals, fortified
with 25% of the DV, 1 cup |
100 |
25 |
| Spinach, frozen, cooked,
boiled, 1 cup |
100 |
25 |
| Great Northern beans, boiled,
1 cup |
90 |
20 |
| Asparagus, boiled, 4 spears |
85 |
20 |
| *Rice, white, long-grain, parboiled, enriched, cooked, 1 cup |
65 |
15 |
| Vegetarian baked beans, canned, 1 cup |
60 |
15 |
| Spinach, raw, 1 cup |
60 |
15 |
| Green peas, frozen, boiled, 1 cup |
50 |
15 |
| Broccoli, chopped, frozen, cooked, 1 cup |
50 |
15 |
| *Egg noodles, cooked, enriched, 1 cup |
50 |
15 |
| Broccoli, raw, 2 spears (each 5 inches long) |
45 |
10 |
| Avocado, raw, all varieties, sliced, 1 cup sliced |
45 |
10 |
| Peanuts, all types, dry roasted, 1 ounce |
40 |
10 |
| Lettuce, Romaine, shredded, 1 cup |
40 |
10 |
| Wheat germ, crude, 2 Tablespoons |
40 |
10 |
| Tomato Juice, canned, 6 ounces |
35 |
10 |
| Orange juice, chilled, includes concentrate, 1 cup |
35 |
10 |
| Turnip greens, frozen, cooked, boiled, 1 cup |
30 |
8 |
| Orange, all commercial varieties, fresh, 1 small |
30 |
8 |
| *Bread, white, 1 slice |
25 |
6 |
| *Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice |
25 |
6 |
| Egg, whole, raw, fresh, 1 large |
25 |
6 |
| Cantaloupe, raw, 1 medium |
25 |
6 |
| Papaya, raw, 1 cup cubes |
25 |
6 |
| Banana, raw, 1 medium |
20 |
6 |
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* Items marked with an asterisk (*) are fortified with folic acid as part of the Folate Fortification Program.
^ DV = Daily Value. DVs
are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a
specific nutrient. The DV for folate is 400 micrograms. Most food labels do not list a food's magnesium content. The percent DV (%DV)
listed on the table indicates the percentage of the DV provided in one serving. A food providing 5% of the DV or less is a low source while a
food that provides 10-19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient. It is important
to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. For foods not listed in this table,
please refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl.
What are the Dietary Reference Intakes for folate?Recommendations for folate are given in the
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dietary Reference Intakes is
the general term for a set of reference values used
for planning and assessing nutrient intake for healthy people. Three important types of reference values included in the DRIs are
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL).
The RDA recommends the average daily intake that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy
individuals in each age and gender group. An AI is set when there is insufficient scientific
data available to establish a RDA. AIs meet or exceed the amount
needed to maintain a nutritional state of adequacy in nearly all members of a specific age and gender group. The UL, on the other hand,
is the maximum daily intake unlikely to result in adverse health effects.
The RDAs for folate are expressed in a term called
the Dietary Folate Equivalent. The Dietary Folate Equivalent (DFE) was developed to help account for the differences in absorption
of naturally occurring dietary folate and the more bioavailable synthetic folic acid.
Table 2 lists the RDAs for folate, expressed in micrograms (mcg) of DFE, for children and adults.
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Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances for Folate for Children and Adults
Age
(years) | Males and Females
(mcg/day) | Pregnancy
(mcg/day) | Lactation
(mcg/day) |
|---|
| 1-3 |
150 |
N/A |
N/A |
| 4-8 |
200 |
N/A |
N/A |
| 9-13 |
300 |
N/A |
N/A |
| 14-18 |
400 |
600 | 500 |
| 19+ |
400 |
600 |
500 |
*1 DFE = 1 food folate = 0.6 folic acid from
supplements and fortified foods
There is insufficient information on folate to establish an RDA for infants. An Adequate Intake (AI) has
been established that is based on the amount of folate
consumed by healthy infants who are fed breast milk.
Table 3 lists the Adequate Intake for folate, in micrograms (mcg), for infants.
Table 3: Adequate Intake for folate for infants
Age
(months) | Males and
Females
(mcg/day) |
|---|
| 0 to 6 |
65 |
| 7 to 12 | 80 |
The National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES III 1988-94) and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (1994-96 CSFII) indicated that most individuals surveyed did not
consume adequate folate. However, the folic acid fortification program, which was initiated in
1998, has increased folic acid content of commonly eaten foods such as cereals and grains, and as a result most diets in the United States (US) now
provide recommended amounts of folate equivalents.
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When can folate deficiency occur?A deficiency of folate can occur when an increased need for folate is not matched by an increased intake,
when dietary folate intake does not meet recommended needs, and when folate excretion increases. Medications that interfere with the metabolism of
folate may also increase the need for this vitamin and risk of deficiency.
Medical conditions that increase the need for folate or result in
increased excretion of folate
include:
- pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding)
- alcohol abuse
- malabsorption
- kidney dialysis
- liver disease
- certain anemias
Medications that interfere with folate utilization include:
- anti-convulsant medications (such as dilantin, phenytoin and primidone)
- metformin (sometimes prescribed to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes)
- sulfasalazine (used to control inflammation associated with Crohn's
disease and ulcerative colitis)
- triamterene (a diuretic)
- methotrexate (used for cancer and other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis)
- barbiturates
(used as sedatives)
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What are some common signs and symptoms of folate deficiency?Folate
deficient women who become pregnant are at greater risk of giving birth to low birth weight, premature, and/or infants with neural tube defects.
In infants and children, folate deficiency can slow overall growth rate. In adults, a particular type of anemia can result from long term
folate deficiency. Other signs of folate deficiency are often subtle. Digestive disorders such as diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss
can occur, as can weakness, sore tongue, headaches, heart palpitations, irritability, forgetfulness, and behavioral disorders. An elevated level of homocysteine
in the blood,
a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, also can result from folate deficiency.
Many of these subtle symptoms are general and can also result
from a variety of medical conditions other than folate deficiency. It is important to have a physician evaluate these symptoms so that appropriate
medical care can be given.
Do women of childbearing age and pregnant women have a special need for folate?
Folic acid is very important for all women who may become pregnant. Adequate folate intake during the
periconceptual period, the time just before and just after a woman becomes pregnant, protects against neural tube defects. Neural tube defects result
in malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull, and brain (anencephaly).
The risk of neural tube defects is significantly reduced when supplemental folic acid is consumed in
addition to a healthful diet prior to and during the first month following conception. Since January 1, 1998, when the folate food fortification program
took effect, data suggest that
there has been a significant reduction in neural tube birth defects. Women who could become pregnant
are advised to eat foods fortified with folic acid or take a folic acid supplement in addition to eating folate-rich foods to reduce the risk of some
serious birth defects. For this population, researchers recommend a daily intake of 400 ¥ìg of synthetic folic acid per day from fortified foods and/or
dietary supplements.
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Who else may need
extra folic acid to prevent a deficiency?People who abuse alcohol, those taking medications that may interfere with the action of folate
(including, but not limited to those listed above), individuals diagnosed with anemia from folate deficiency, and those with malabsorption, liver
disease, or who are receiving kidney dialysis treatment may benefit from a folic acid supplement.
Folate deficiency has been observed
in alcoholics. A 1997 review of the nutritional status of chronic alcoholics found low folate status in more than 50% of those surveyed. Alcohol
interferes with the absorption of folate and increases excretion of folate
by the kidney. In addition, many people who abuse alcohol have poor quality diets that do not provide the recommended intake of folate. Increasing folate
intake through diet, or folic acid intake through fortified foods or supplements,
may be beneficial to the health of alcoholics.
Anti-convulsant medications such as dilantin increase the need for folate. Anyone taking
anti-convulsants and other medications that interfere with the body's ability to
use folate should consult with a medical doctor about the need to take a folic acid supplement.
Anemia is a condition that occurs when there is insufficient hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to cells and tissues.
It can result from a wide variety of medical problems, including folate deficiency. With folate deficiency, your body may make large red blood cells
that do not contain adequate hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's cells. Your physician can determine whether
an anemia is associated with folate deficiency and whether
supplemental folic acid is indicated.
Several medical conditions increase the risk of folic acid deficiency. Liver disease and kidney dialysis
increase excretion (loss) of folic acid. Malabsorption can prevent your body from using folate in food. Medical doctors treating individuals with
these disorders will evaluate the need for a folic acid supplement.
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What are some current issues and controversies about folate?Folic Acid and Cardiovascular
Disease
Cardiovascular disease involves any disorder of the heart and blood vessels that make up the cardiovascular system. Coronary heart
disease occurs when blood vessels which
supply the heart become clogged or blocked, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Vascular damage can also occur to blood vessels supplying the brain,
and can result in a stroke.
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in industrialized countries such as the US, and is on the rise in developing countries.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health has identified many risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including an
elevated LDL-cholesterol level, high blood pressure, a low HDL-cholesterol level, obesity, and diabetes.
In recent years, researchers have identified another risk factor for cardiovascular disease, an elevated homocysteine level. Homocysteine is an amino acid normally
found in blood, but elevated levels have been linked with coronary heart disease and stroke.
Elevated homocysteine levels may impair endothelial vasomotor function, which determines how easily blood flows through blood vessels.
High levels of homocysteine also may damage coronary arteries and make it easier for blood clotting cells called platelets to clump together
and form a clot, which may lead to a heart attack.
A deficiency of folate,
vitamin B12 or vitamin B6 may increase blood levels of homocysteine, and folate supplementation has been shown to
decrease homocysteine levels and to improve endothelial function. At least one study has linked low dietary folate intake with an increased risk of coronary events.
The folic acid fortification program in the U. S. has decreased the prevalence of low levels of folate and high levels of homocysteine in the blood in middle-aged
and older adults. Daily consumption of folic-acid fortified breakfast cereal and the use of folic acid supplements has
been shown to be an effective strategy for reducing homocysteine concentrations.
Evidence
supports a role for supplemental folic acid for lowering homocysteine levels, however this does not mean that folic acid supplements will decrease the
risk of cardiovascular disease. Clinical intervention trials are underway to determine whether supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B12,
and vitamin B6 can lower risk of coronary heart disease. It is premature to recommend folic acid supplementation for the prevention of heart
disease until results of ongoing randomized, controlled clinical trials positively link increased folic acid intake with decreased homocysteine levels
AND decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Folic Acid and Cancer
Some evidence associates low blood levels of folate with a
greater risk of cancer. Folate is involved in the synthesis, repair, and function of DNA, our
genetic map, and there is some evidence that a deficiency of folate can cause damage to DNA that may lead to cancer. Several studies have associated diets
low in folate with increased risk of breast, pancreatic,
and colon cancer. Over 88,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who were free of
cancer in 1980 were followed from 1980 through 1994. Researchers found that women ages 55 to 69 years in this study who took multivitamins containing
folic acid for more than 15 years had a markedly lower risk of developing colon cancer. Findings from over 14,000 subjects followed for 20 years suggest that
men who do not consume alcohol and whose diets provide the recommended intake of folate
are less likely to develop colon cancer. However, associations between diet and disease do not indicate
a direct cause. Researchers are continuing to investigate whether enhanced folate intake from foods or folic acid supplements may reduce the risk of cancer.
Until results from such clinical trials are available, folic acid supplements should not be recommended to reduce the risk of cancer.
Folic Acid
and Methotrexate for Cancer
Folate is important for cells and tissues that rapidly divide. Cancer
cells divide rapidly, and drugs that interfere with folate metabolism are used to treat cancer. Methotrexate is a drug often used to treat cancer because it
limits the activity of enzymes that need folate.
Unfortunately, methotrexate can be toxic, producing side effects such as inflammation in the digestive
tract that may make it difficult to eat normally. Leucovorin is a form of folate that can help
"rescue" or reverse the toxic effects of methotrexate. There are many studies underway to determine
if folic acid supplements can help control the side effects of methotrexate without decreasing its effectiveness in chemotherapy. It is important for anyone
receiving methotrexate to follow a medical doctor's advice on the
use of folic acid supplements.
Folic Acid and Methotrexate for Non-Cancerous Diseases
Low dose methotrexate is used to treat a wide
variety of non-cancerous diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, asthma, sarcoidoisis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and inflammatory bowel
disease. Low doses of methotrexate can deplete folate stores and cause side effects that are similar to folate deficiency. Both high folate diets and
supplemental folic acid may help reduce the toxic side effects of low dose methotrexate without decreasing its effectiveness. Anyone taking low dose methotrexate
for the health problems listed above should consult with a
physician about the need for a folic acid supplement.
Caution About Folic Acid Supplements
Beware of the interaction between vitamin B12 and folic acid
Intake of supplemental folic acid should not exceed 1,000 micrograms
(¥ìg) per day to prevent folic acid from triggering symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Folic acid supplements can correct the anemia associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. Unfortunately, folic acid will not correct changes
in the nervous system that result from vitamin B12 deficiency. Permanent nerve damage can occur if vitamin B12 deficiency is
not treated.
It is very important for older adults to be aware of the relationship between folic acid and vitamin B12 because
they are at greater risk of having a vitamin B12 deficiency. If you are 50 years of age or older, ask your physician to check your
B12 status before you take a supplement that contains folic acid. If you are taking a supplement containing folic acid, read the label
to make sure it also contains B12 or speak with a physician about the need for a B12 supplement.
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What is the health risk of too much folic acid?Folate intake from food is not associated
with any health risk. The risk of toxicity from folic acid intake from supplements and/or fortified foods is also low.
It is a water soluble vitamin, so any excess intake is usually excreted in urine. There is some evidence that high levels of folic acid can provoke
seizures in patients taking anti-convulsant medications. Anyone taking such medications should consult with
a medical doctor before taking a folic acid supplement.
The Institute of Medicine has established a tolerable upper intake level (UL)
for folate from fortified foods or supplements (i.e. folic acid) for ages one and above. Intakes above this level increase the risk of adverse health effects.
In adults, supplemental folic acid should not exceed the UL to prevent folic acid from triggering symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
It is important to recognize that the UL refers to the amount of synthetic folate (i.e. folic acid)
being consumed per day from fortified foods and/or supplements. There is no health risk, and no UL, for natural sources of folate found in food.
Table 4 lists the Upper Intake Levels (UL) for folate, in micrograms (mcg), for children and adults.
Table 4: Tolerable Upper Intake
Levels for Folate for Children and Adults
Age
(years)
| Males and Females
(mcg/day) | Pregnancy
(mcg/day) |
Lactation
(mcg/day) |
| 1-3 | 300 |
N/A | N/A | | 4-8 |
400 | N/A | N/A |
| 9-13 | 600 | N/A |
N/A |
| 14-18 |
800 |
800 |
800 |
| 19 + |
1000 |
1000 |
1000
|
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Selecting a healthful dietAs the 2000
Dietary Guidelines for Americans states, "Different foods contain different nutrients and other healthful substances. No single food can supply
all the nutrients in the amounts you need". As indicated in Table 1, green leafy vegetables, dried
beans and peas, and many other types of vegetables and fruits provide folate. In addition, fortified foods are a major source of folic acid. It is not
unusual to find foods such as some ready-to-eat cereals fortified with 100% of the RDA for folate. The variety of fortified foods available has made it
easier for women of childbearing age in the US to consume the recommended 400 mcg of folic acid per day from fortified foods and/or supplements.
The large numbers of fortified foods on the market, however, also raises the risk of exceeding the UL.
This is especially important for anyone at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can be triggered by too much folic acid. It is important for
anyone who is considering taking a folic acid supplement to first consider whether their diet already includes adequate sources of dietary folate and
fortified food sources of folic acid.
For more information about building a healthful diet, refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/DietGd.pdf and the
US Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html. |
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