FOLATE

What is folate?

Folate (including the form used in food fortification and supplements), known as folic acid, is a water-soluble B group vitamin that needs to be consumed regularly, as it is not stored in the body. Folate takes its name from the Latin word for 'foliage' because high concentrations of this vitamin are found in leafy green vegetables.

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How does folate contribute to our health and wellbeing?

Folate benefits include:

  • Brain & nervous system: Folate is essential for the development of the brain, spinal cord and skeleton in unborn babies1.
  • Cells: Folate is important for growth and division of new body cells, including red blood cells2. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy.
  • Healthy Pregnancy: In women, folate is required for a healthy pregnancy. Research has shown that women who increased folate consumption in at least the month before and three months following conception may reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTD), such as spina bifida (which is failure of the spinal column to close) in babies3. New recommendations from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMEX) recommend that women of child bearing age consume a minimum of 600µg per day in at least the month before and at least the first three months following conception4.

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How can you increase your intake of folate?

Folate can be found liver, kidney, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, spinach, oranges, avocados, nuts and legumes. It is also added to most breakfast cereals. As of September 13 2009 all wheat flour (used for making bread) in Australia will be required to contain no less than 2 mg/kg and no more than 3 mg/kg of folic acid.

Food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), is introducing mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour (used for making bread) to increase the folic acid intake of women planning to or who may become pregnant – to help protect the developing foetus against neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida.

This means all bread in Australia that is made from, or contains wheat flour (across supermarkets and bakeries) will contain folic acid. Click here for a list of folic acid levels in all our Bürgen® Breads.

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Want to know more?

1 Asok 2007. In utero physiology: role of folic acid in nutrient delivery and fetal development. AJCN 85 (2):598S-603S.
2 Ferguson L et al 2006. Oxidative DNA damage and repair: significance and biomarkers. The Journal of Nutrition 136 (10):2687S-2689S.
3 Wald et al 2001. Quantifying the effect of folic acid. Lancet 358: 2069-2073.
4 NHMRC and NZMoH 2006. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand including recommended dietary intakes. NHMRC, Canberra



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