Fill up on foods natrually rich in folate, and you won't need folic acid supplements.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Folic acid (the man-made version of B vitamin folate) certainly has its place in the diet. For starters, it's considered a hero nutrient for women of childbearing age because of its ability to lower the risk of certain birth defects. Folate also is among the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and is important for proper nerve functioning. Research has also found it can reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures, and possibly lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, new research is finding that many older people in the country are getting too much folic acid, which could lead to cognitive impairment and even increase the risk of certain cancers.

THE DETAILS: Research led by Regan Bailey, PhD, nutritional epidemiologist with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, and published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition set out to determine the total folate intake of Americans. Previous studies didn't look at both man made folic acid found in supplements and fortified foods and naturally-occurring folate found in food. Researchers included both in this study to provide a more realistic idea of what people are getting; they found that 15 to 19 percent of all child-bearing age women and 23 percent of black women did not get enough total folate intake, but about five percent of men and women over the age of 50 exceeded the Tolerable Upper Intake Level, putting them at an increased risk of cancer and memory problems.

WHAT IT MEANS: The study authors conclude that because high folic acid intake could increase cancer risk (particularly colorectal cancers), older adults and people who take folic acid supplements in addition to eating a diet high in folic acid should pay special attention to how much they're eating.

Keeping aware of your folate intake doesn’t have to be complicated, but you should run the numbers to make sure you're not overdoing it. The Food and Nutrition Board has established an upper safe level for folic acid of 1,000 micrograms a day for adults, 800 for adolescents, and 300 to 600 for children. But it's only the stuff that's been added to food, or that’s in supplements, that you need to be concerned with. "It only includes folic acid obtained from fortified foods and dietary supplements, not the folate naturally present in foods, which is considered safe at any level of intake," says Paul Thomas, Ed.D., RD, scientific consultant for the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. "Getting excessive amounts is only a concern for people who eat plenty of folic-acid fortified foods and take dietary supplements containing this nutrient." Folate-rich foods include include raw spinach (60 micrograms per cup), aparagus (85 micrograms per four spears), romaine lettuce (40 micrograms per half cup), beef liver (185 micrograms per three ounces), and avocados (45 micrograms per half cup sliced).

While it is vitally important for women who are or who may become pregnant to get 600 micrograms of folic acid a day to prevent neural tube birth defects, other adults and adolescents need just 400 micrograms. Children require 150 to 300 micrograms. Some folic-acid-enriched cereals contain up to 100 percent of that amount in just ¾ of a cup, so multiple servings plus a folic acid supplement could bring you to the 1,000 microgram threshold pretty quickly. In addition to many cereals, some packaged snacks, white rice, bread, and noodles are also fortified with folic acid, so be sure to read labels to make sure you're not getting too much folic acid. On the other hand, getting your folate fill from a healthy diet is doable, and risk free. "Folate is present in a pretty wide variety of foods, especially plant foods like vegetables, legumes, and grains," says Thomas. For ideas on cooking folate-rich dishes, check out our story on Folate-Rich Recipes.