Use the table below to determine the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for the individuals you may encounter during counseling. Note: Recommendations for folate refer to food folate. Recommendations in the footnotes refer to synthetic folic acid.
Dietary Reference Intakes for Folate*
| If the patient is a... | RDA (mcg/day) |
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) (mcg/day) |
| Woman, |
400
|
1000 |
| Woman, Hispanic, 19 - 50 years of age, not currently pregnant | 400 |
1000 |
| Woman, planning a Pregnancy | 600 |
1000 |
| Woman, Breastfeeding | 500 |
1000 |
| Man, at least 19 years of age | 400 | 1000 |
| Adult, beyond age 50 | 400 | 1000 |
| Adolescent (14-18) | 400 | 800 |
| Adolescent (9-13) | 300 | 600 |
| Child (4-8) | 200 | 400 |
| Child (1-3) | 150 | 300 |
| Infant (0-1) | No extra supplementation required | |
| * As dietary folate equivalents (DFEs). 1 DFE = 1 mcg of food folate = 0.6 mcg folic acid (from fortified food or supplement consumed with food) = 0.5 mcg synthetic (supplemental) folic acid taken on an empty stomach | ||
|
In
view of evidence linking folate intake with neural tube defects in the
fetus, it is recommended that all women capable of becoming pregnant consume
400 mcg from supplements or fortified foods in addition to intake of
food folate from a varied diet.[73] |
||
|
The
U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce recommends that all women planning
pregnancy take a daily multivitamin or multivitamin-multimineral supplement
containing folic acid at a dose of 400-800 mcg, beginning 1 month
prior to conception and continuing through the first trimester, to reduce
the risk of neural tube defects.[71] |
||