What Are Total Count Of Folates & What Foods Can I Find It In?
Folate is also known as vitamin B9 and folacin.
When talking about the total count of folates, means the total amount of folate in a food, including both the natural folate found in foods, and the manufactured folate, called folic acid.
Folate deficiency can be caused by unhealthy diets that do not include enough vegetables and other folate-rich foods.
Folate deficiency may lead to glossitis, diarrhea, depression, confusion, anemia, and fetal neural tube and brain defects.
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Folate Is A Generic Term
Folate is a generic term referring to both natural folates in food and folic acid, the synthetic form used in supplements and fortified food. (source ◳)
That is why when a nutrition label or something like that says total count of folates, they mean all different folates combined.
Folates Are Found In A Wide Variety Of Foods
A wide variety of foods naturally contain folate. But the form that is added to foods and supplements, folic acid, is better absorbed. (source ◳)
Adequate folic acid intake is an effective dietary-based prevention tool for reducing the risk of neural tube defects. (source ◳)
It is therefore necessary to ensure that the diets of pregnant women are sufficient in folate.
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Benefits Of Folates
The benefits of folates are many.
- Protection of the fetus
- Protection of the developing brain
- Prevention of neural tube defects
- Prevention of some types of cancers
Folates are also used to treat a number of conditions including epilepsy and stroke.
The Folate Deficiency Syndrome
The folate deficiency syndrome, once thought to be a rare disease, is now known to affect many people world-wide.
It is an especially common nutritional disorder in developing countries.
The folate deficiency syndrome is a disorder of human development and disease which is characterized by clinical symptoms such as megaloblastic anemia, neurological manifestations, and mental retardation.
Folate deficiency occurs when your body doesn't get enough folate.
Folate deficiency can be prevented by eating a diet rich in foods that contain folate.
First symptoms of folate deficiency include:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Mouth sores
- Neurological issues
Folate deficiency in women is associated with tumors in the cervix, uterine body, ovary, and breast.
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Foods You Can Find Folates In
You find folate, both natural folate and folic acid that been counted together mostly in fortified breakfast cereal and baked products, and spices, herbs, and vegetables.
Examples of food sources include
Foods in our nutrition tool
You can find regularly updated, top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most folate, we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Folate, total.