During pregnancy, the body has a high need for folic acid. Women who want to have children should also be adequately cared for. Here is all the information you need on a daily basis.
The body needs folic acid for cell growth. This is exactly why the vitamin is so important for pregnant women. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) advises taking folic acid in good time. Women who want to have children and who are specifically trying to get pregnant should therefore take additional preparations.
In this article you can read which foods contain a particularly large amount of folic acid and how high the daily requirement is during pregnancy.
Pregnancy: folate or folic acid – what’s the difference?
Folate is one of the B vitamins and is found in plant and animal foods. The synthetically produced form is called “folic acid”. According to this, folic acid is taken via dietary supplements, but it is also used to enrich foods with the B vitamin. Both compounds are absorbed differently in the body, like that Federal Institute for Risk Research (BfR) writes. Folic acid can be better utilized by humans than folate, so it has a different bioavailability than the natural compound.
“One microgram of folate equivalent corresponds to one microgram of dietary folate or 0.5 micrograms of synthetic folic acid (when taken on an empty stomach) or 0.6 micrograms of folic acid (in combination with other foods),” writes the DGE. In the case of an undersupply of folate, therefore, less folic acid in micrograms has to be taken in than when folate is ingested through food.
Take folic acid when you are planning to have children
A sufficient supply of folic acid is particularly important in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Just three weeks after conception, a precursor structure of the nervous system forms in the child with the neural tube. The spinal cord and brain develop from the neural tube. An undersupply of folic acid can lead to neural tube defects, for example “spina bifida”, popularly known as “open spine”. By the end of the fourth week of pregnancy, the neural tube closes completely.
According to the BfR, neural tube defects occur in 1 to 2 out of 1000 pregnancies in Germany. As a result, around 800 children are born with a neural tube defect. The causes are different, but according to the current study situation, the risk can be reduced with an additional intake of folic acid.
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In order to ensure adequate care at the beginning of pregnancy, the DGE recommends taking folic acid preparations at least four weeks before the start of pregnancy. However, since pregnancy is difficult to plan, women who want to have children “should take 400 µg of folic acid per day in the form of a folic acid preparation in addition to a folate-rich diet,” writes the DGE. The BfR also advises women who are not using specific contraception to take folic acid in tablet form.
Daily requirement of folic acid during pregnancy – what applies to infants?
For a healthy, adult woman, the DGE recommends 300 micrograms of folate equivalents per day. the Consumer Center writes that women who have had an unplanned pregnancy should consume 800 micrograms of folic acid at the beginning of pregnancy.
- desire to have children: 300 µg folate equivalents per day + 400 µg folic acid as a preparation
- Pregnant women in the first trimester: 550 µg folate equivalents per day + 400 µg folic acid as a preparation
- Pregnant women from the second trimester: 550 µg folate equivalents per day
- breastfeeding: 450 µg folate equivalents per day
- Babies up to 4 months: 60 µg folate equivalents
- Babies up to 12 months: 80 mcg folate equivalents
In order to know the right supply, consultation with a doctor is necessary. He can determine exactly which nutrients are needed individually during pregnancy.
How long to take folic acid during pregnancy
“In any case, the intake of the folic acid supplement should be maintained during the first trimester of pregnancy,” writes the DGE.
According to the DGE, no additional folic acid preparations must be taken from the third trimester, but care should be taken to ensure a balanced diet. Breastfeeding women do not have to take any additional folic acid either, but their requirement is higher than that of adults: 450 micrograms of folate equivalents should be made available to the body while breastfeeding – through food or in the form of supplements.
Can Too Much Folic Acid Harm During Pregnancy?
According to the European Food Safety Authority, adults should not take more than 1000 micrograms of folic acid per day. In adolescents up to the age of 17, the value of 800 micrograms per day should not be exceeded.
which Food should pregnant women eat?
Normally, the daily requirement of folate can be covered through a healthy diet. During pregnancy, however, the need for vitamins increases significantly.
These foods are rich in folate:
- Green vegetables (especially leafy greens, spinach, salads)
- tomatoes
- legumes
- nuts
- oranges
- sprouts
- wheat germ
- whole grain products
- potatoes
- Leber
- Owner
The BfR recommends preparing food as gently as possible, as folate is sensitive to light and heat. Like all B-Vitamine folate is also water soluble.