In plain words
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9. It is found in leafy green vegetables, beans, lentils, citrus fruit, and some fortified grain products. Your body uses folate to make new cells and DNA, which matters a great deal in early pregnancy, when the baby's spine and brain are forming. Folate is sensitive to heat and light, so some is lost in cooking and storage. The body does not store much of it, so a steady supply matters. Folate and are related, and the two words are sometimes confused. Folic acid is the form used in supplements and . Your provider can tell you how much folate or folic acid fits your needs.
The deeper version
Folate is a family of pteroylglutamate compounds that serve as one-carbon donors in purine and thymidylate synthesis and in methionine regeneration. Dietary folate is less bioavailable than synthetic folic acid, and food folate losses during cooking can be substantial. Periconceptional folate status is linked to risk, the basis for the 1992 CDC recommendation that all women of reproductive age receive folic acid in a daily amount set by that guidance (MMWR, 1992). Pregnancy increases folate requirements, and deficiency in pregnancy is associated with anemia and neural tube defects.
Where it comes up
- Folate and folic acidPregnancy: Eating
- Eating before you conceiveBefore Pregnancy
- What to eat in pregnancy: the short versionPregnancy: Eating
What mothers here say about folate
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Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Recommendations for the use of folic acid to reduce the number of cases of spina bifida and other neural tube defects, MMWR, 1992