Folate

Folate (the natural form of folic acid) is one of the B-group of vitamins. Because it’s water-soluble it can’t be stored in the body, so you need to make sure you eat foods containing folate regularly.

Folate plays a crucial part in cell division and the formation of proteins in the body and works together with vitamin B12 to help form healthy blood cells.

A balanced diet that includes good sources of folate such as fortified breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, lentils, liver, yeast extracts, wholemeal bread and most beans will meet the normal adult demand for 0.2mg of folate per day.

However, there is evidence for an increased folate requirement during the weeks before pregnancy and the first three months of pregnancy itself.

Health professionals recommend that ‘women who could become pregnant’ should take a supplement containing 0.4mg (400 micrograms, 200% of the RDA) folic acid in addition to their normal dietary folate intake until the 12th week of pregnancy. This is to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

An additional dose of 5mg daily is recommended for women at a high risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancy. Of course, before you start taking any dietary supplements relating to pregnancy, you should always seek the advice of your GP.