Good nutrition is important during pregnancy, which is why pregnant moms should try to follow a healthy diet filled with plenty of fruit, veggies, whole grains and lean protein. And by now you've likely read about the importance of taking a daily prenatal vitamin, but did you know that the most important component of this wonder pill is folic acid?
Folic acid, also known as folate in food form, is one of the B vitamins that’s critical for your baby’s healthy development in the earliest stages of pregnancy. It can help prevent major birth defects of baby's brain and spine, commonly referred to as neural tube defects.
Here’s more about folic acid, including how much to take, how to get it into your diet, and how it helps you and your baby during pregnancy.
What is folic acid and what does it do?
Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate, a B vitamin (specifically vitamin B9) that’s found in certain fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Folic acid/folate is found in vitamins and fortified foods like bread, pasta and cereals. It’s also in dark leafy greens, beans, peas and nuts.
This nutrient helps the body break down, use and create new proteins, the building blocks of our cells. It also plays a role in DNA creation and the formation of red blood cells.
Why is taking folic acid during pregnancy so important?
In the first few weeks of pregnancy, a structure called the embryonic neural tube goes through a complex series of developmental steps to form what is the precursor to baby's brain and spinal cord.
Folic acid is an essential component to this complicated process. Adequate dietary or supplemental folic acid decreases the risk of a neural tube defect like spina bifida by 72 percent.
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Folic acid also assists in the formation of baby's heart and circulatory system. Research shows that taking the right amount of folic acid early in pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect.
Because folic acid is water-soluble, your body isn’t able to store an excess amount. Instead, it gets passed through your urine, which is why you need to regularly incorporate enough folic acid into your diet to avoid a deficiency when you're pregnant.
Since most birth defects develop in the first few weeks of pregnancy, it's especially important to get enough folic acid as early on as possible.
What are some other benefits of folic acid?
Folic acid has many benefits for your pregnancy and your unborn baby. Research has shown that when you start taking folic acid in the months before you get pregnant, it benefits your health and that of your baby in a number of different ways. Some of the benefits of folic acid are:
- Reducing the risk of miscarriage. Some women have trouble getting or staying pregnant because of a folic acid deficiency.
- Helping prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in baby. There are three neural tube birth defects linked to insufficient folic acid: spina bifida, a spinal malformation; anencephaly, a type of brain damage; and Chiari malformation, a less common defect that causes the brain tissue to extend into the spinal canal.
- Safeguarding against congenital heart defects in your baby. This type of defect can include a hole in the heart’s wall, too-narrow valves, or blood vessels that are incorrectly formed. It affects about 40,000 babies a year.
- Lowering the chance of getting gestational diabetes. This pregnancy-related form of diabetes can often be managed with dietary changes, exercise and daily monitoring of your blood sugar.
- Reducing your risk of preterm labor. A diet that’s rich in folic acid/folate may help prevent giving birth before 37 weeks.
- Protecting against cleft lip and/or cleft palate in your baby. Folic acid may help prevent this mouth defect in babies, in which the lip has an opening in it and doesn’t form correctly.
How much folic acid do you need during pregnancy?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG),[1] the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),[2] and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend that all women who are trying to get pregnant or who are actively planning a family consume at least 400 mcg of folic acid in a daily supplement or prenatal vitamin.
Keep in mind that preconception folic acid supplementation can be as important as getting enough folic acid during pregnancy, so be sure to discuss your nutritional needs with your OB/GYN before you start trying to conceive.
Ideally, a pregnant woman's daily dose should be 600 mcg from all sources, including foods and prenatal vitamins.
If you’re at high risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect, says the March of Dimes,[3] your doctor will likely advise you to take 4,000 mcg of folic acid each day, three months before you get pregnant through 12 weeks of pregnancy.
You’re at high risk if:
You’ve had a baby with a neural tube defect in the past.
You or your partner has a neural tube defect.
Your partner has a child with a neural tube defect.
When should you start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid?
Talk to your doctor about when to start taking folic acid daily. If you plan to get pregnant at some stage but aren’t actively trying, it’s still wise to start taking a prenatal vitamin that contains folic acid or a folic acid supplement in case you have an unplanned pregnancy.
Remember: Many daily multivitamins (as well as fortified foods) already contain folic acid/folate.
What are the best foods with folate?
Your daily prenatal vitamin is like a nutritional backup plan during pregnancy — and it comes in handy especially on days when you feel too sick to eat.
That said, a vitamin or supplement can't replace a healthy diet. It's vital to eat plenty of folate-rich foods when you're expecting, since they're also full of many other important baby-making nutrients like fiber, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C.
And if you’re breastfeeding, experts recommend taking a basic daily women's multivitamin that contains 100 percent of the recommended daily value of all nutrients, including folic acid. You can either continue to take your prenatal vitamin or a supplement designed for breastfeeding moms.
Some of the best food sources of folate to incorporate into your diet include:
Dark leafy green vegetables: 262 mcg in 1 cup cooked spinach
Avocado: 118 mcg in 1 cup
Legumes: 92 to 210 mcg in 1 cup (such as black-eyed peas, green peas and kidney beans)
Broccoli: 104 mcg in 1 cup chopped and cooked
Asparagus: 178 mcg in eight cooked spears
Oranges: 29 mcg in one fresh small orange, or 35 mcg in 3/4 cup orange juice
Foods fortified with folic acid: whole grain breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, rice, etc.
Keep up the good work on the nutrition front by taking your daily prenatal vitamin containing folic acid. That supplement, along with a folate-rich diet, will help get your pregnancy and baby on a healthy path from the start.
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