What is folate and why do we need it? The understanding nutrients series
You may have heard of folate (also known as folic acid, or vitamin B9) in relation to pregnancy. But this essential nutrient has other roles too.
Folate is the term used for the natural form of the vitamin.
So, the form that’s found in foods. Folic acid is the synthetic form, found in
supplements.
Roles of folate:
Folate has many roles in the body, but I’ll just touch on a
few.
- Red blood cells: folate is crucial for the development of healthy red blood cells. It helps the cells to multiply during their creation. Without folate, your red blood cells won’t develop properly and this will lead to anaemia.
- Pregnancy: folate is essential for the production of DNA and RNA, especially in cells that are growing quickly – like a foetus. It also helps form the neural tube which is what goes on to be the brain and spine. You may have heard of folic acid deficiencies leading to neural tube defects in babies. Scientists are not sure of the exact mechanism in which this occurs, but it may be due to folates role in DNA synthesis, or its role in other chemical reactions.
- Energy metabolism: folate also helps the body convert carbohydrates, fat and protein into energy that can be used. It does this by supporting the reactions that convert carbohydrates into glucose. And it supports the reactions for the breakdown of fat and protein.
How much folate do we need?
The recommended amount of folate is 200 μg (micrograms) a day. If you’re trying to get pregnant
or are pregnant you need an additional 400 μg
daily supplement until 12 weeks pregnant. Also, lactating women need 260 μg daily.
For reference, 100g of cooked lentils has around 175 μg of folate.
Foods that are high in folate:
This isn’t a complete list, but here are a few foods that
are sources of folate.
- 100g of raw spinach has 191 μg
- 100g of broccoli has 80 μg
- 100g of potatoes has 125 μg
- 100g of beef has 55 μg
- 100g of kidney beans has 60 μg
- One egg has 22 μg
- One large orange has 55 μg
It’s also worth considering that folate can be easily
destroyed by heat and water, so depending on how you cook your food, you might
not actually get all the folate. For example, steaming your vegetables instead
of boiling them would retain more of the vitamin.
What happens if you don’t get enough folate?
Not getting enough folate can lead to folate deficiency
anaemia. This is where your red blood cells don't form properly and they're unusually large. This means they don't work as they're meant to.
Most people should be able to get enough through a balanced diet. As it’s a water soluble vitamin, it isn’t stored in the body, so you’ll have to eat a variety of foods each day to get your intake.
But deficiency can be caused by a poor dietary intake,
alcohol abuse, malabsorption, medication or having a condition that causes
excessive weeing. It leads to symptoms like extreme tiredness, difficulty
concentrating, feeling faint, heart palpitations, and decreased appetite.
It’s treated by daily folic acid tablets.
Key points:
- Folate is an essential nutrient that has many roles including the development of red blood cells, and the formation of a healthy baby in pregnancy.
- Adults should be having 200 μg of folate daily, with pregnant people needing an extra 400 μg daily supplement.
- Foods that contain folate include green vegetables, lentils and beans, and potatoes.
- A deficiency in folate can lead to folate deficiency anaemia.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post; I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
You can find all the other nutrients I've already covered here.
Bye for now! 👋
References:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/folic-acid.html
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/causes/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12493090/
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Good to know ! I thought only veg had high levels of folate . Thanks for this informative piece
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm glad you found it informative :)
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