Is folic acid safe to take with a multivitamin?

Question: Is folic acid safe to take with a multivitamin?

I take a multivitamin tablet every day. I was told to take extra folic acid. Is it safe to take a folic acid supplement along with my regular multivitamin?

Leah, About.com User

Answer: As long as you follow the directions on the labels, you can safely take a B complex supplement along with a daily multivitamin. My question is why are you taking the extra folic acid?

Folic acid is the dietary supplemental form of the B vitamin folate. Folate is important for normal neurological development of an embryo -- without enough folate, a baby may be born with a birth defect of the spine called spina bifida.

Folic acid is easily absorbed and works just like folate in your body. It is a good idea to get about 800 micrograms of folic acid every day if you are planning a pregnancy.

Some people take folic acid supplements to reduce the amount of a protein called homocysteine in their blood, with the hope they will also decrease their risk of heart disease, some types of cancer or to slow down the effects of Alzheimer's.

Unfortunately, research hasn't shown that taking folic acid supplements will help prevent or treat any of these diseases. Studies do show that eating a diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and legumes (where folate is naturally found) is associated with a lower risk of these diseases.

So, while it is a great idea to take folic acid if you are going to get pregnant, there is no clear reason to take folic acid supplements for some of the other reasons -- focus on maintaining a healthy diet instead.

_Sources:

National Institutes for Health. "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Folate." Office of Dietary Supplements. Updated 8/2005

Aisen PS, Schneider LS, Sano M, Diaz-Arrastia R, van Dyck CH, Weiner MF, et al. "High-dose B vitamin supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease: a randomized controlled trial." JAMA. 2008 Oct 15;300(15):1774-83.