Health Topic

Folic Acid

If you are pregnant, your doctor has probably talked to you about folic acid. This important B vitamin is also important for everyone. Learn more.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Folacin · Folate · Pteroylglutamic acid · Vitamin B9

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Folic Acid

Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. Getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Foods with folic acid in them include:

  • Leafy green vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Dried beans, peas, and nuts
  • Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products

If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

It sits within Food and Nutrition.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Folic Acid

563 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Start Here

  • About Folic AcidCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
  • FolateNational Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
  • Folate (Folic Acid)Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
  • Folic AcidDepartment of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health

Diagnosis and Tests

Genetics

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Folic Acid Deficiency, Folic Acid. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Folic Acid, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.