Vitamin B9, commonly known as folate, is an important vitamin for everyone – though it's most famous for its role before and during pregnancy. It contributes to your energy, helps reduce tiredness and fatigue, and plays a central part in the body's normal blood formation. Here's what B9 does, where to find it, and when a supplement matters.
Folate or folic acid: what's the difference?
The two names cause a lot of confusion, but the distinction is simple. Folate is the natural form found in foods. Folic acid is the synthetic form used in supplements and in fortified foods like some breads and cereals – and it's actually more stable and absorbed more efficiently by your body than natural folate. Your body can't produce either on its own, so you need to get B9 through your diet or a supplement.
What does vitamin B9 do?
Getting enough B9 matters for men and women alike. It contributes to normal blood formation – the process by which your body makes red blood cells – and to normal amino acid synthesis. Because it's involved in releasing and using energy, it also contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Folate has several other authorised roles worth knowing: it contributes to normal psychological function, to the normal function of the immune system, and to normal homocysteine metabolism, and it plays a role in the process of cell division – the fundamental business of your body growing and renewing its cells. During pregnancy specifically, folate contributes to the growth of maternal tissue.
Folate and pregnancy
If there's one nutrient nearly everyone associates with pregnancy, it's folic acid – and rightly so. This is the one area where official advice is clear and specific, so it's worth stating plainly.
The NHS advises that if you're pregnant, trying for a baby, or could become pregnant, you should take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement every day – ideally starting at least one month before you conceive and continuing until you're 12 weeks pregnant. This is standard NHS guidance for anyone who might become pregnant, and it's the single most important thing to know about folate. If this applies to you, follow that NHS advice, and speak to your midwife, GP or pharmacist if you have any questions about it.
What foods are high in vitamin B9?
You'll find folate naturally in a wide variety of foods: dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli and asparagus, plus beans, peanuts, liver and eggs. Fruits rich in folate include melons, oranges, bananas and papayas.
Folic acid, the synthetic form, is added to many fortified foods including breads, cereals, pasta and rice. The NHS recommends that adults need 200 micrograms of folate a day (separate from the specific 400 microgram pregnancy advice above). Because your body doesn't store folate long-term, a regular intake through your diet or a supplement is what keeps your levels steady.
Should I take a folic acid supplement?
Most people can get enough folate from a balanced diet. You might benefit from a folic acid supplement if your diet is limited, if you have a condition that affects how well you absorb folate, or — most importantly — if you're pregnant or planning to be, in which case the NHS advice above applies.
Our folic acid supplements come in tablet and capsule forms, including vegan formulations. You'll also find folic acid included in our vitamin B complex supplements, alongside all eight essential B vitamins. If you're unsure what's right for you – particularly around pregnancy or if you take other medicines – a quick word with your pharmacist is the best place to start.
Explore our range of folic acid supplements to support normal blood formation, energy and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.