About Vitamin B9 - Folate (Folic Acid)
Vitamin B9, also known as Folate and Folic Acid, is one of the eight B vitamins.
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9. It is water-soluble and naturally found in many foods. It is also added to foods and sold as a supplement in the form of folic acid.
Folate helps to form DNA and RNA and is involved in protein metabolism. It plays a key role in breaking down homocysteine, an amino acid that can exert harmful effects in the body if it is present in high amounts.
Folate is also needed to produce healthy red blood cells and is critical during periods of rapid growth, such as during pregnancy and fetal development.
Deficiencies are rare as it is found in a wide range of foods. However, the following may put people at increased risk:
- Alcoholism. Alcohol interferes with the absorption of folate and speeds the rate that folate breaks down and is excreted from the body.
- Pregnancy. The need for folate increases during pregnancy as it plays a role in the development of cells in the fetus.
- Intestinal surgeries or digestive disorders that cause malabsorption. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease can decrease the absorption of folate. Surgeries involving the digestive organs or that reduce the normal level of stomach acid may also interfere with absorption.
- Genetic variants. People carrying a variant of the gene MTHFR cannot convert folate to its active form to be used by the body.