Table of Contents
Introduction
The prenatal use of folate and folic acid isn’t something uncommon. As a pregnant woman, you may have been advised at different intervals to include either folate or its synthetic counterpart, folic acid, in your diet or supplements. This would mainly be due to the substantial health benefits of prenatally consuming folate and folic acid.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, some key benefits of taking folate and folic acid supplements include DNA synthesis, the prevention of neural tube defects, and cell division.
On that note, if you’ve been or are interested in taking either folate vs folic acid or both simultaneously, this article will do you a lot of good. This article emphasises the critical differences between folate and folic acid, their sources, their deficiency symptoms, the absorption rate and benefits during pregnancy.
What Is Folate?
People often use the terms folate and folic acid interchangeably. However, they are not entirely the same.
Folate is a general term which refers to different forms of Vitamin B-9 (a B-group Vitamin) found naturally in certain food substances (food or dietary folates) such as fruits, legumes, nuts and various leafy green vegetables, as well as folates that are manufactured such as;
- Dihydrofolate (DHF)
- Tetrahydrofolate (THF)
- 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (5, 10-methylene-THF),
- 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methyl-THF or 5-MTHF),
- Folic acid
Food folates are converted into the biologically active form of vitamin B9, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) in the digestive tract.
What Is Folic Acid?
On the other hand, folic acid is a synthetic form of folate added to various food substances as dietary supplements. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong to think that folic acid is a type of folate, but it is essential to remember that it is synthetic.
What Are The Differences Between Folic Acid And Folate?
Sources:
- Folate is the form of vitamin B9 that is naturally occurring. It is found in various foods like leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts, spinach and beef.
- Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate (vitamin B9). As stated earlier, it is used to fortify foods and as a dietary supplement. It is found in enriched breakfast cereals, dietary supplement, prenatal vitamin supplements and rice.
Bioavailability:
- Research studies suggest that folic acid is much more bioavailable during digestion than folate. However, this only applies when both are taken in equal amounts.
Structure:
- Folates obtained from natural meals contain several glutamate residues and exist predominantly in polyglutamyl forms.
- Folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, is a monoglutamate. This means it only possesses one glutamate residue.
Stability:
- Folic acid is much more stable than folate. This is mainly because folic acids are supplements added to already-made food substances to enrich them further.
- Folate, on the other hand, is much more heat-labile. This means that during the processing or preparation of some of the folate food sources, some of these dietary folates may be lost during heating from boiling or baking.
Storage:
- Folic acid is water soluble, but unused or excess amounts of folic acid are excreted through urine and not stored in the body.
- Folate is also water-soluble. However, because dietary folates are mainly acquired in smaller units than folic acid, the body can store up some amounts of folate for a given period of 4 months. [5]
Folate vs Folic Acid: Which Absorbs Better?
There are slight discrepancies in results regarding whether folate absorbs faster than folic acid and vice versa.
However, most research studies agree that folic acid is more bioavailable than folate. According to a 2022 research article, dietary folate has a bioavailability of about 50% when ingested. Meanwhile, when consumed as a supplement alongside a meal, folic acid has a bioavailability of 80%.
Furthermore, when folic acid is taken solely on an empty stomach, it has a bioavailability of 100% and can easily be absorbed into the bloodstream. This indicates that folic acid is more easily absorbed and used in the body than folate.
Folate vs Folic Acid: Which Is Better For Pregnant Women?
As a pregnant woman, knowing the significance of folate and folic acid is essential. Although both are excellent sources of vitamin B9 for everyone, you must take enough of them, as during pregnancy, the need for said vitamin is increased.
According to the National Institute of Health, adults are expected to have a daily intake of 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily. During pregnancy, this requirement is increased to about 600 mcgs and then slightly declines to 500 mcgs during breastfeeding.
On that note, folic acid would be the obvious choice during pregnancy. This is mainly due to its high bioavailability levels when taken solely or as a supplement to a meal.
Benefits Of Folic Acid During Pregnancy
During your pregnancy, folic acid supplements can help provide you with some essential benefits that aid your baby’s development in utero. Some of the significant benefits of taking folic acid during pregnancy include the following:
- Prevention Of Birth Defects:
As a pregnant woman, you would be urged to take folic acid supplements during the early stages of your pregnancy. This is because folic acid helps prevent your foetus from having neural tube defects. These neural tube defects affect your baby’s brain and spinal cord development.
- Increased Blood Production:
Folic acid helps form and develop new and healthy red blood cells. As a pregnant mother, the level of your red blood cells will elevate slightly above normal. However, it is common for women of childbearing age to suffer folate-deficiency anaemia if they become deficient in Vitamin B9 due to reduced or no intake of the required amount of folic acid.
- Development Of Healthy Cells:
Folic acid also helps develop new healthy cells, including blood cells, skin cells, brain cells, hair, and nails. It also increases the production of genetic materials like DNA and RNA needed for the development and growth of the fetus.
Sources of Folic Acid:
During your pregnancy, certain food substances are ideal sources for folic acid supplements. Some of these food substances are:
- Fortified pasta
- Rice
- Corn masa flour
- Fortified breakfast cereals
- Fortified bread
- Vitamin supplements
Sources Of Folate
As folate is obtained from natural food sources, here are some natural foods you want to consider incorporating into your diet during pregnancy. They include:
- Beef
- Liver
- Spinach
- Black-eyed peas
- Fortified breakfast cereals
- Asparagus
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Grains
Symptoms Of Folate (Vitamin B9) Deficiency.
According to the National Health Service (NHS), some of the significant symptoms that can arise in people with folate (Vit B9) deficiency include:
- Memory loss/ cognitive changes
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Low energy levels
- Mouth ulcers
- Headaches
- Rapid breathing
- Palpitations
- Folate-deficiency anaemia.
- Problems with sight.
If you experience any of the listed symptoms, seek professional help. Pay a visit to your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Who Should Not Take Folic Acid?
Although there’s this notion that folic acid is suitable for every pregnant woman, It is best not to roll with the crowd during pregnancy. Mainly because what works best for others may not work for you. As such, you should be careful about what you take during pregnancy. Certain health conditions would require you to abstain from using folic acid. These health conditions include:
- Persons undergoing kidney dialysis
- Cancer patients (unless you also have folate-deficiency anaemia)
- Persons with pernicious anaemia (VitB12 deficiency)
- Persons with allergic reactions or side effects to folic acid supplements or medications.
- People with a stent (expandable mesh coil) in their heart.
If you are pregnant with any of the aforementioned health conditions, you must consult your doctor before you take any folic acid medication or supplements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Folate and folic acids are forms of vitamin B9. Vitamin B9 is essential in the development and health of a fetus and its pregnant mother.
Although various folic acid brands are available on the market today, you mustn’t self-medicate. Get a particular prescription for folic acid from your doctor or gynaecologist.
Folic acid helps improve the production of healthy body cells and red blood cells, as well as increased blood flow and the production of genetic materials (DNA and RNA) for you and your baby.
[…] Folic Acid – Essential for preventing neural tube defects. […]
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