Too much folate?

Folate is an essential B vitamin, needed by our body to synthesize DNA. Cells produce DNA every time they divide, and cell division goes on constantly within our bodies. A few years ago, scientists drew a connection between low intake of folate in the first few days of pregancy and the development of spinal bifida and other neural tube disorders in children. Breads and cereals now contain added folate, which has resulted in 1500-2000 fewer cases of neural tube defects each year.

But - new research shows that too much folate, most likely over 800 mcg per day (the current recommendation is 400 mcg per day), can cause increased risk of a variety of different types of cancer, including colon, breast, and prostate. The thinking is that if you have precancerous cells and get too much folate, those cells may divide more quickly, leading to cancer.

Most multivitamins contain 400 mcg of folate, and if you eat a few servings of cereal or granola/cereal bars with added folate it's easy to go over 800 mcg per day. Folate naturally occuring in foods doesn't seem to cause a problem; it's the supplemental folate that appears to be the culprit.

Food labels carry a %DV (percentage of the Daily Value) for vitamins and minerals, not the specific grams, milligrams, or micrograms. The Daily Value for folate is 400 mcg, so if the food label says one serving has 40% of the DV, that's 40% of 400, or 160mcg.

For now, follow these suggestions:
- Keep taking your multi vitamin with 400mcg folate
- If you use protein shakes, smoothies, or other fortified beverages, read the labels for folate content.
- Look at your intake of cereals, granola bars, cereal bars, etc for folate content.
- Keep total folate intake from your multi and fortified foods to under 800 mcg per day.