Skip to content
DE
Vitamin

Folate

Folate is vitamin B9, a water-soluble B vitamin found in leafy greens, legumes and liver. The body needs it to make DNA and new cells.

Essential HealthFertilityWomen's HormonesStress & MoodCardiovascular

Why does folic acid matter before pregnancy?

Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects, serious defects of the developing brain or spine. CDC recommends 400 mcg daily for people who could become pregnant. 1 2

Pregnancy PrepSupported

Prevention begins before conception, not only after a positive pregnancy test. 3

What is the German recommendation?

DGE recommends an additional 400 µg folic acid daily, or equivalent amounts of other folates, for women planning or able to become pregnant. It specifies starting at least four weeks before conception and continuing through the first trimester alongside a folate-rich diet. 3

Does extra folate keep memory sharp?

A meta-analysis of 11 trials with cognitive data from about 22,000 people found no benefit for cognitive aging from homocysteine-lowering B vitamins. The trials tested vitamin combinations, not a treatment for diagnosed folate deficiency. 4

MemoryNot supported

Lowering a blood marker did not translate into better cognition in these trials. 4

What about mood?

NIH describes a possible role for folate, particularly methylfolate, alongside antidepressants, but uncertainty remains about who benefits. 2

Mood SupportToo little evidence

Adjunctive treatment research does not establish a general mood benefit for healthy people. 2

Effects by health goal

Open an effect to see the studies behind its rating. Bars show the size of the effect; the letter grades the evidence.

Stress & Mood2 effects

Mood SupportStress & MoodModerateBNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · medium confidenceEvidence record

Chronic StressStress & MoodSmallBNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · medium confidenceEvidence record

Cardiovascular1 effect

Blood pressureCardiovascularSmallBNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · high confidenceEvidence record

Cognition3 effects

MemoryCognitionSmallCNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · medium confidenceEvidence record

Brain FogCognitionSmallCNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · medium confidenceEvidence record

Focus And AttentionCognitionSmallCNo linked study

No study is linked to this rating.

Rated by SuppCo · medium confidenceEvidence record

All studies

9 publications are linked to Folate, newest first.

The Critical Role of Folate in Prenatal Health and a Proposed Shift from Folic Acid to 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Supplementation2024Folate – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 20232023Maternal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation: International clinical evidence with considerations for the prevention of folate-sensitive birth defects2021Neurodevelopmental effects of maternal folic acid supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis2021Association Between Folate and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses2020New Perspective on Impact of Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy on Neurodevelopment/Autism in the Offspring Children – A Systematic Review2016Emerging roles for folate and related B-vitamins in brain health across the lifecycle2014Effect of folate intake on health outcomes in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis on birth weight, placental weight and length of gestation2012Discussion: Effects of Folate and Vitamin B12 Deficiencies During Pregnancy on Fetal, Infant, and Child Development2008

Sources

  2. Folate: Fact Sheet for Consumers NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
  3. Folat: Referenzwerte Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung