Folic Acid

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. Getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Foods with folic acid in them include:

• Leafy green vegetables
• Fruits
• Dried beans, peas, and nuts
• Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products

If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

NIH: National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements

Start Here

• Facts about Folic Acid (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Folate (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) Also in Spanish
• Folic Acid (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Homocysteine Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Vitamin B Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Folic Acid Supplements: Can They Slow Cognitive Decline? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Cerebral folate transport deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Hereditary folate malabsorption: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

• Folic Acid Quiz (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Folic Acid Deficiency (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Folic acid intervention during pregnancy alters DNA methylation, affecting neural target...
• Article: Association of periconceptional folate supplements and FOLR1 and FOLR2 gene polymorphisms...
• Article: Combined action of SAMe, Folate, and Vitamin B12 in the treatment...
• Folic Acid -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Folate deficiency (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Folate-deficiency anemia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Folic acid - test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Folic acid in diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish