Folate is a type of B vitamin (vitamin B-9), and it’s crucial for the formulation of red blood cells and healthy growth and function. This nutrient is necessary for early pregnancy to lower the risk of birth defects to the baby’s spine and brain.

Overall, folate is found primarily in nuts, peas, beans, and leafy/dark green vegetables. However, some fruits are rich in folate, such as lemons, oranges, strawberries, melons, and bananas. 

In synthetic form, you have folic acid, which is a crucial component in prenatal vitamins and comes in foods fortified with folic acid, including pasta and cereals.

If your diet lacks folate-rich foods or folic acid, you might develop a folate deficiency. This can also happen for those with certain conditions, including celiac disease. With it, the small intestine cannot absorb the nutrients in foods.

Most people should get about 400 micrograms of folate each day. However, adult women who plan to get pregnant or might get pregnant require up to 1,000 mcg of folic acid daily.

The question on everyone’s mind is whether folic acid is good for the heart or not. Studies indicate that it might lower your high blood pressure and have other heart-healthy benefits. Let’s learn more.

Evidence to Back Up the Folic Acid Supplementation Claim

Research on using folic acid supplements for specific conditions is significant and shows these things:

• Birth Defects – Research indicates that folic acid supplements could help with neural tube defect prevention. Taking a prenatal vitamin each day, ideally three months before you conceive, will ensure that women get enough of the nutrient to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
• Folic Acid Deficiency – Folic acid supplementation can treat nutritional folate deficiency. However, this isn’t a huge problem in most countries because the foods are fortified with folic acid.
• Lowering the Risk Factors of Heart Disease and Stroke – Folic acid will work with vitamins B-12 and B-6 to control plasma homocysteine levels. If you have elevated homocysteine levels in your blood, your risk of developing cardiovascular disease increases. Therefore, lowering homocysteine levels is crucial, and folate contains the homocysteine-lowering B vitamins you need.
• Cancer – A few clinical trials suggest that folic acid could reduce the risk of developing some cancers.
• Dementia – There is not enough evidence to show that folic acid can prevent dementia.
• Depression – Evidence suggests folic acid could help treat depression.

Studies on folic acid started in the 1970s and included the Health Professionals Follow-Up and the Nurses’ Health Study. These show that those who consume more folate have had fewer heart attacks and strokes than those who consumed less. 

Folate and other B vitamins will break down homocysteine, which is an amino acid that could damage your arteries’ inner walls.

According to the NCBI, there have been a total of 12 different randomized controlled trials involving 47,523 participants who met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review it provided. You can read about each randomized controlled trial here.

It’s Generally Safe

Most people should be getting folate from their food. Generally, a balanced diet is all that’s required. However, folic acid therapy and supplementation are often recommended for women who might get pregnant, plan to get pregnant, are breast-feeding, or are pregnant.

Likewise, folic acid supplements might help those with conditions or poor diets that prevent the body from absorbing folate. This often happens to myocardial infarction survivors and those with coronary heart disease or vascular disease.

Side Effects and Safety

Folic acid fortification is generally safe if you use it at the appropriate dose. However, oral use might cause:

• A bad taste in the mouth
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Sleep pattern disturbance
• Irritability
• Confusion

Those with allergies might have a reaction, and the symptoms include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Redness
• Itching
• Skin rash

Any excess folic acid will be excreted through your urine.

Taking too much folate might mask your vitamin B-12 deficiency until the neurological effects are irreversible. Therefore, you might require a supplement for vitamin B-12 and folic acid.

Benefits of Folic Acid

The folic acid benefits for women include:

• Prevention of birth defects
• Reducing the risk of pregnancy complications
• Better egg quality and implantation
• Lowered risk of rheumatoid arthritis
• Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
• Less risk of developing low bone density, anemia, and depression

Whether you’re at a higher cardiovascular risk or not, there are also folic acid benefits for men, including:

• Maintaining normal sperm maturation and development
• Supports heart health
• Improves and balances your mood
• Helps with cognition
• Might improve erectile dysfunction, according to the NCBI
• Could help with hair growth because it assists with cell growth (more research is necessary)

Possible Interactions Between Folic Acid Supplements and Other Medications

The possible interactions can include:

• Anticonvulsants – Taking folic acid with phenytoin (Phenytek and Dilantin), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), and primidone (Mysoline) could decrease the concentration of the drug in the blood.
• Pyrimethamine (Daraprim) – Taking folic acid supplements with the antimalarial drug could reduce its effectiveness.
• Methotrexate (Trexall) – If you use folic acid and this medication that treats cancer, it might not be as effective.
• Barbiturates – If you use folic acid with a drug that depresses the central nervous system (barbiturate), the drug might become less effective.

Can Folic Acid Help with Cardiovascular Disease?

Even one risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, can lead to significant problems as you age. You’re looking to find options to help you prevent cardiovascular diseases, and folic acid might be an excellent choice.

Vitamin supplementation is crucial, but folate is only one piece of the puzzle. There’s no magical solution. Is folic acid good for your heart? Definitely! However, you must focus on your overall eating habits and choose healthy foods that aren’t processed or full of fat. Citrus fruits, dark leafy vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereal are only a handful of options.

Your lifestyle also plays a role. Exercise is crucial, and you should be moving and standing more often than sitting. In many cases, these things will help you manage your health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure issues.