Folate and folic acid

What is folate?

Folate is a water soluble B vitamin that is found naturally in food.  Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate that can be found in supplements and is added to some foods.  Folic acid is more easily absorbed than naturally occurring folate.

What does folate do?

Folate is required to make DNA and RNA, which cells need to divide.  This is especially vital during periods of rapid cell division and growth, such as in infancy and during pregnancy.  Adults and children need folate in order to make normal red blood cells and prevent anaemia.

Folate and pregnancy

Folate is important to the healthy development of babies in early pregnancy.  A baby’s growth is the most rapid in the first weeks of life – often before a woman is aware she is pregnant.  The neural tube closes and fuses very early in life, becoming the baby’s brain and spinal column.  If the tube doesn’t close, the result is a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.

The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends that women who are pregnant, or considering becoming pregnant, take folic acid supplements at least one month before and three months after conception to reduce the risk of birth defects. As many pregnancies are unplanned, it is recommended that woman follow a folate rich diet throughout their childbearing years.  Folate rich foods include green leafy vegetables, broccoli, citrus fruits and juices, legumes and some nuts.  For more information on folate in pregnancy please refer to pregnancy and healthy eating.

Folate deficiencies

There are some medical conditions that increase the body’s need for folate, or result in the body excreting more folate.  These include pregnancy and lactation, alcohol abuse, kidney dialysis, malabsorption, liver disease and some certain kinds of anaemia.  Some medications will also affect folate levels in the body. Please consult your medical practitioner for further information.

Folic acid fortification

Wheat flour for bread making must contain folic acid to help reduce the rates of neural tube defects in babies.  This means that bread including all plain, fancy and sweet breads, rolls, bagels, focaccias, English muffins and flat breads containing yeast must have folic acid added.

Other products that may be made with bread-making flour and therefore have folic acid added include crumpets, scones, pancakes, pikelets, crepes, yeast donuts, pizza bases and crumbed products.

The requirement to add folic acid only applies to bread making flour, other types of packaged flour (both domestic and commercial) are not required to have folic acid added.

Organic bread and bread from other cereal grains such as rice, corn or rye (provided they do not contain wheat flour) is also not required to contain folic acid.

Some manufacturers voluntarily choose to add folic acid to flours and other foods including breakfast cereals, yeast spreads and fruit juice.

Folic acid must be listed in the ingredient list on food labels.

Even though manufactures must add folic acid to bread making flour,  pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant should take folic acid supplements as recommended by the NHMRC above.