Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin B9 (Folate)

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin B9 (Folate)

Vitamin B9 (folate) is required for numerous body functions, including DNA synthesis and repair, cell division, and cell growth. (1,2)

Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9 found in fortified foods, like cereals, and supplements.

A deficiency of folate can lead to a form of anemia in adults and slower development in children. For pregnant women, folate is especially important for proper fetal development and preventing neural tube defects. (3)

High folate foods include beans, lentils, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, avocado, mangoes, lettuce, sweet corn, oranges, and whole wheat bread. The current daily value (DV) for folate (Vitamin B9) is 400mcg. (4)

Below are the 10 best foods high in folate. For more see the extended list of folate rich foods, and the complete list of over 200 foods high in folate.

List of High Folate Foods

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A printable list of foods high in folate. High folate foods include beans, lentils, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, avocado, mangoes, lettuce, sweet corn, and oranges, and whole wheat bread.

Extended List of Folate Rich Foods

FoodServingFolate
1. Lamb Liver (Cooked) + 3oz serving 85% DV
(340mcg)
2. Beef Liver (Cooked) + 1 slice (~3oz) 53% DV
(211mcg)
3. Caned Baked Beans with Beef + per cup 29% DV
(114mcg)
4. Spinach Egg Noodles (Cooked) + per cup 26% DV
(102mcg)
5. Roasted Chestnuts + per cup 25% DV
(100mcg)
6. Cooked White Rice + per cup 23% DV
(92mcg)
7. Duran + per cup chopped 22% DV
(87mcg)
8. Cooked Quinoa + per cup 19% DV
(78mcg)
9. Firm Tofu + per cup 18% DV
(73mcg)
10. Canned Blue Crab + per cup 17% DV
(69mcg)
11. Dry Roasted Sunflower Seeds + per oz 17% DV
(67mcg)
12. Cooked Blue Mussels + per 3oz serving 16% DV
(65mcg)
13. Yellow Cornmeal (Grits) + per cup 16% DV
(63mcg)
14. Cooked Atlantic Salmon (Farmed) + per 6oz serving 14% DV
(58mcg)
15. Cooked Teff + per cup 11% DV
(45mcg)
16. Cooked Wild Rice + per cup 11% DV
(43mcg)
17. Cooked Dungeness Crab + per 3oz 9% DV
(36mcg)
18. Cooked Bulgur + per cup 8% DV
(33mcg)
19. Egg Yolks + 1 large yolk 6% DV
(25mcg)
20. Whole Milk + per 16oz glass 6% DV
(24mcg)

How Much Vitamin B9 (Folate) Do You Need?

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for folate (B9) ranges from 150mcg to 600mcg per day. The daily value for vitamin B9 is 400mcg per day. (4)

Life StageRDA
Infants*
0-6 months old65mcg
7-12 months old80mcg
Children
1-3 years old150mcg
4-8 years old200mcg
Males
9-13 years old300mcg
14-18 years old400mcg
19-50 years old400mcg
50+ years old400mcg
Females
9-13 years old300mcg
14-18 years old400mcg
19-50 years old400mcg
50+ years old400mcg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old600mcg
18+ years old600mcg
Lactation
14-18 years old500mcg
18+ years old500mcg
*The amounts for children less than 12 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin B9 (Folate).

Health Benefits of Folate (Vitamin B9)

  • Protection Against Heart Disease - Adequate levels of vitamin B9, B6, and B12 have been shown to lower levels of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. Lower levels of homocysteine have been shown to improve endothelial function, which in turn may boost cardiovascular health and decrease risk of heart attacks and strokes. (5)
  • Protect and Repair DNA to Reduce Cancer Risk - Folate (Vitamin B9) is essential for the maintenance and repair of DNA, which helps to prevent cancer. Several studies have associated diets low in folate with increased risk of breast, pancreatic, and colon cancer. (5,6)
  • Decreased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease - Studies suggest that consuming adequate amounts of vitamin B9 (Folate) over a period of at least 10 years results in a decreased risk of Alzheimer's Disease. (7,12) and folate in relation to the development of Alzheimer's disease" target="_blank">8)

People at Risk of a Folate (Vitamin B9) Deficiency

  • Alcoholics - Alcohol interferes with absorption of folate and increases excretion of folate via the kidneys. (9)
  • Pregnant and Lactating Women - Women who are about to become, or are, pregnant need to be sure they have adequate folate in order to reduce risk of premature births, underweight births, and neural tube defects in their infants. (3)
  • People with Malabsorption - People with gastrointestinal conditions like tropical sprue, celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease may have poor folate absorption in the gut. Even if they consume adequate folate, they may not absorb enough of it to meet their body's needs. (10,11,12)
  • People with the MTHFR polymorphism - MTHFR is a gene that's involved in folate processing in the body. There are rare variants of this gene that significantly reduce the body's ability to process folate, which can lead to a variety of health issues. However, many common variants of this gene have only a small effect on folate processing, and have not been shown to have an impact on your health. Because of this, commercially available MTHFR genetic testing generally doesn't provide any information that's useful for improving your health. (13,14)

Folate and Vitamin B12

If you take folic acid (vitamin B9) supplements beware of the interaction with vitamin B12. If you have vitamin B12 deficiency, then taking extra folate will often cure the associated anemia, but it will not have an impact on the neurological damage caused by a lack of vitamin B12. It is important to maintain adequate levels of both folic acid and vitamin B12. (15)

Other Vitamin B Foods

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View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. Shuaibi AM, House JD, Sevenhuysen GP. The importance of folic acid J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Dec;108(12):2090-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.09.007. 19027414
  2. Crider K, Williams J, Qi YP, Gutman J, Yeung L, Mai C, Finkelstain J, Mehta S, Pons-Duran C, Menéndez C, Moraleda C, Rogers L, Daniels K, Green P. Folic acid - importance for human health and its role in COVID-19 therapy Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. 36321557
  3. Crider K, Williams J, Qi YP, Gutman J, Yeung L, Mai C, Finkelstain J, Mehta S, Pons-Duran C, Menéndez C, Moraleda C, Rogers L, Daniels K, Green P. Folic Acid Deficiency Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. 36321557
  4. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
  5. Brantigan CO. Folic acid fortification of the food supply. Potential benefits and risks for the elderly population JAMA. 1997 Mar 19;277(11):884-5. 9062324
  6. Kono S, Chen K. Folic acid and colorectal cancer prevention: molecular mechanisms and epidemiological evidence (Review) Cancer Sci. 2005 Sep;96(9):535-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2005.00090.x. 16128738
  7. Morris MC, Evans DA, Schneider JA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Aggarwal NT. Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease with high folate intake: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging J Alzheimers Dis. 2006 Aug;9(4):435-43. doi: 10.3233/jad-2006-9410. 16917153
  8. Rieder CR, Fricke D. Vitamin B(12) and folate in relation to the development of Alzheimer's disease Neurology. 2001 Nov 13;57(9):1742-3. doi: 10.1212/wnl.57.9.1742-a. 11706137
  9. Halsted CH, Villanueva JA, Devlin AM. Metabolic interactions of alcohol and folate Alcohol. 2002 Jul;27(3):169-72. doi: 10.1016/s0741-8329(02)00225-2. 12163145
  10. Tropical Sprue
  11. Theethira TG, Dennis M, Leffler DA. Appropriate nutrient supplementation in celiac disease Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Feb;8(2):123-9. doi: 10.1586/17474124.2014.876360. 24417260
  12. Yakut M, Ustün Y, Kabaçam G, Soykan I. Associations between Folate and Vitamin B12 Levels and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Meta-Analysis Eur J Intern Med. 2010 Aug;21(4):320-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2010.05.007. Epub 2010 Jun 8. 20603044
  13. Kapiszewska M, Kalemba M, Wojciech U, Milewicz T. The Role of Folate and MTHFR Polymorphisms in the Treatment of Depression J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Aug;16(8):467-78. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2005.01.018. 16043029
  14. Wang Y, Liu Y, Ji W, Qin H, Wu H, Xu D, Turtuohut T, Wang Z. MTHFR genetic testing: Controversy and clinical implications Metab Brain Dis. 2015 Aug;30(4):1017-26. doi: 10.1007/s11011-015-9662-4. Epub 2015 Apr 10. 25855017
  15. Smith AD. Folate and vitamin B-12 status in relation to anemia, macrocytosis, and cognitive impairment in older Americans in the age of folic acid fortification Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):3-5. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/85.1.3. 17209170
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