The naturally occurring form of this B vitamin is called folate - the synthetic form, found in supplements is called folic acid. It's a water-soluble vitamin and should be eaten every day.
Where can I get it?
The best food sources of folate - which will usually be enough for most people who eat a varied, balanced diet (except pregnant women) - are liver* and green, leafy vegetables like spinach, Brussels sprouts and asparagus.
A portion of one of these vegetables will provide around half of your daily intake. Folate is destroyed by cooking, so eat raw spinach, for example - and steam others instead of boiling.
You can also find it in broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, fortified breakfast cereals and bread and oranges.
*Pregnant women should avoid eating liver because it contains high amounts of vitamin A.
How much should I eat?
Folate works alongside vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and is a very important vitamin for pregnant women, or women who may become pregnant, because it also helps prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida in the developing foetus.
Most adults need 0.2mg a day but women who are pregnant or thinking of having a baby should take a daily 0.4mg (400 microgram) folic acid supplement from the time you stop using contraception until the 12th week of pregnancy.
What does it do?
Because of its role in the production of red blood cells, a lack of folate can lead to anaemia and a lowered immune system. This type of deficiency is not uncommon among pregnant women because their needs are higher.
Other people who may suffer from a folate deficiency are elderly people (who often have a smaller appetite) and people with alcoholism (because alcohol interferes with folate absorption by the body).
Folic acid fortification
Some people believe that folic acid should be added to flour or bread - which most people eat - to help prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
This is because many women don't take folic acid supplements before they become pregnant and it's thought that, if everyone ate fortified bread, there would be fewer birth defects.
The argument against this proposal says that elderly people risk a vitamin B12 deficiency if folic acid fortification happens.
The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency can be hidden if a person consumes a lot of folic acid - but the underlying problem isn't solved. This can lead to permanent and irreversible nerve damage if the vitamin B12 deficiency is not diagnosed and treated.
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