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Folate/Folic Acid Fact Sheet

Prepared by Shelly Asplin, MA, RD LMNT, 2010

Top Four Reasons to Consume Adequate Folate:

  1. Helps produce and maintain new cells
  2. Needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells
  3. Normal red blood
  4. Avoiding deficiency symptoms
  • Birth defects in babies
  • Slow growth rate of infants and children
  • Anemia

How much folate/folic acid per day?

Recommended Dietary Allowances for Folate for Children and Adults

Age (years) Male and Female (μg/day) Pregnant  Lactating
1-3 150  N/A  N/A
4-8 200  N/A  N/A
9-13 300  N/A  N/A
14-18 400  600  500
19+ 400  600  500

 

Adequate Intake for folate for infants

Age (months) Male and Female (μg/day)
0-6 Months 65
7-12 Months 80

 

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for Folate for Children and Adults

Age Male and Female (μg/day) Pregnancy (μg/day) Lactation (μg/day)
1-3 300 N/A N/A
4-8 400 N/A  N/A 
9-13 600 N/A N/A
14-18 800 800 800 
19+  1000  1000 1000 

 

Food Sources

Food  Folate/Folic Acid (μg/day) %DV
Chex Cereal, fortified with 50% of DV, 200 50.00%
Spinach, frozen, cooked, boiled, ½ cup 100 25.00%
Great Northern beans, boiled, ½ cup 90 25.00%
Asparagus, boiled, 4 spears 85 20.00%
Rice, white, long-grain, parboiled, enriched, cooked, ½ cup 65 15.00%

*DV = Daily Value. DV’s are developed by the FDA to help consumers know how much of a specific nutrient is in a food.

Labs to check folate: Folate

Adapted from the following resources:

  • NIH Office Of Dietary Supplements. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/folate.asp
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2003. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp

Disclaimer: This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult with a health care provider before making changes to your health care regimen.

Reviewed 2/19/2013