Folic Acid
Folate, which is one of the B vitamins, is essential for the formation of red
and white blood cells in bone marrow. Medical research has shown that folate has
a protective effect against conditions such as spina bifida which causes severe
disability in babies. It is estimated that taking folic acid (a synthetic
version of folate) when trying to conceive a baby and in the early stages of
pregnancy
could prevent 1,000 cases of spina bifida a year, many of which result in
termination of pregnancy. So it is important for every woman who might be
thinking of
having a baby to make sure she is getting enough folic acid in her diet.
The Department of Health recommends that:
- women planning to conceive should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily as a
medicinal food supplement from when they begin trying to become pregnant until
the twelfth week of pregnancy.
- women who think they might be pregnant but have not been taking extra folic
acid should start doing so immediately and continue until the twelfth week of
pregnancy.
- women who have had a previous child with spina bifida should take daily folic
acid supplements of 5 milligrams (5000 micrograms) until the twelfth week of
pregnancy. Women taking this much folic acid should only do so under a doctor's
supervision.
There are three possible ways of getting extra folate in the diet:
- more folate-rich foods such as green vegetables
- foods fortified with folic acid
- take folic acid as a medicinal supplement
The best way to make sure you get enough folic acid is to take a supplement or
eat foods such as softgrain breads and breakfast cereals which have been
fortified with folic acid. You can use a combination of all three sources of folic
acid. However, recent research shows that the body cannot absorb as much folic
acid
from folate-rich foods, such as green vegetables, as it does from
supplements or
fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and softgrain white bread.
Therefore
if you are planning to have a baby, a healthy diet with plenty of
green
vegetables will not be enough to give you all the folate you need.
Bread is a good source of folate. On average, a slice of granary bread will
give you 35 micrograms of folic acid, wholemeal bread 15 micrograms and white
bread
about 11 micrograms of folic acid per slice.
Folic acid and heart disease
- Research is showing that increased intake of folic acid may help to reduce the
risk of stroke and heart disease. Heart disease is known to be linked with high
levels of homocysteine in the blood. A study carried out in 1998 showed that
giving folic acid supplements to people with heart disease lowered the blood
levels
of homocysteine, reducing the risk in the same way as lowering cholesterol
does.
- The indications are that the same intake level, 400 micrograms per day, will be
of benefit to heart patients. This means that making sure we get sufficient
folate in our diet is a healthy plus for all adults.
Folic Acid in Bread
Six medium slices (228g) of bread provides the following levels of folic acid:
white bread
68.4 micrograms (17% of recommended daily intake)
wholemeal bread
91.2 micrograms (23% of recommended daily intake)
white bread fortified with folic acid
250 micrograms (62% of recommended daily intake)