Folate is vitamin b9. It is an important nutrition for us. As the saying goes, too much of anything is useless, the folate level must be appropriate. Being water soluble, it is easy for our body to excrete excess folate. However, we must ensure its optimal level and take the appropriate dose of folic acid.

Many of us know the RDA for nutrition. When it comes to this nutrition, the reference is to folate equivalent. There is no general awareness of this basic concept. This is because folate from food is assimilated into our body in a reduced amount compared to the folic acid that we take directly. You have to adjust the dose of folic acid accordingly.

What is dietary folate and what is folic acid? They are the same in substance, but the name differs depending on the source. Dietary folate is the naturally available nutrition in vegetables and fruits such as spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, oranges, pineapples, etc. Pork liver has folate. When we consume these natural foods we say that it is dietary folate. Our body biosynthesises and converts to folic acid. This is how loss happens. If we take folic acid directly from external sources like fortified bread or breakfast cereals or natural supplements, it goes directly into our body. This is the difference. Consequently, the RDA is expressed in dietary folate equivalent DFE.

There is a simple equation. 1 dietary folate equivalent = 1 mcg dietary folate = 0.6 mcg folic acid.

For example, if an orange has 20 mcg of folate and your daily requirement is 400 mcg, you should eat 33 oranges, not 20 oranges. However, if you take a 400 mcg folic acid supplement, you simply substitute 33 oranges! This is the folic acid dosage fact.

I mean 400 mcg because all adults need 400 mcg a day. This is based on scientifically observed test results from 95% to 98% of healthy people. However, there is no such reference for infants because no scientifically proven data is available. However, an adequate intake of AI for infants is developed based on the health of infants who received breast milk. Consequently, for babies from 0 to 6 months, the requirement is 65 mcg per day and beyond 6 months and up to 12 months it should be 80 mcg per day. Please note that these are only best reference and believed to be reasonable and there is no scientific data to prove.

There are many health benefits of folate. Inadequate folate leads to anemia because it is required for the production of red blood cells. Heart palpitations, weight loss, loss of appetite, etc. may be observed. It is also important for the formation and maintenance of cells. It is considered best for cancer prevention due to its ability to support antioxidant nutrition.

The essential part of folate is felt for any woman of childbearing age. It is concluded that this nutrition plays a vital role in the fetus to ensure a proper foundation for the spine and brain. That is the reason why adequate folate is recommended for the pregnant woman. The pregnant woman should take a daily dose of 600 mcg of folic acid and continue for 3 months after pregnancy.

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