Folate Fact Sheet

							            Folate Fact Sheet
                                                                    What causes folate
 Why is Folate Important?                                           levels to be low?
  Folate is a B vitamin that helps produce and                       Pregnancy/Lactation
                                                                       Alcohol Abuse
    maintain new cells?                                                Mal-absorption
  Folate is needed to make DNA and RNA                               Kidney Dialysis
                                                                       Liver Disease
  Folate is especially important during pregnancy                    Certain Anemia's
    to support the rapid growth of the baby


                        Recommended Folate Intake
  Age       Males and Females         Pregnancy              Lactation
  1-3 yrs   150 micrograms
  4-8 yrs   200 micrograms
  9-13 yrs 300 micrograms
  14-18 yrs 400 micrograms            600 micrograms         500 micrograms
  19+ yrs   400 micrograms            600 micrograms         500 micrograms


                            Good Sources of Folate

Food                                                  Folate in micrograms
Breakfast Cereals, Fortified 3/4 cup                  400 micrograms
Spinach, frozen, cooked 1/2 cup                       100 micrograms
Avocado, raw 1/2 cup                                  45 micorgrams
Tomato Juice, canned 6 oz                             35 micrograms
     *Folate is absorbed from natural food sources. Folic acid is
     absorbed from a supplement. The body can more easily
     absorb the folic acid from a supplement, so it may be better
     to include a multi-vitamin along with these food sources