What Is Folate and What Health Benefits Does It Offer?

Have you heard of folate? It's an essential vitamin that, like other vitamins, can improve your health. Unfortunately, many people don't get enough folate in their diet. If you have a folate deficiency, it could leave you susceptible to several diseases. What is folate exactly, and what health benefits does it offer?

Overview of Folate

Folate is a type of B vitamin. More specifically, it's vitamin B-9. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin that's part of the vitamin B family. There are other types of B vitamins. Vitamin B-9, though, is often referred to as folate.

It's important to note that folate isn't the same as folic acid. Folic acid is essentially the synthesized form of folate. In comparison, folate occurs naturally.

The Health Benefits of Folate

As a vitamin, folate plays an important role in your health. It's used to regulate metabolism, for instance. People who are deficienct in folate are more likely to experience metabolic disorders than their counterparts who consume plenty of folate in their diet. If your metabolism has dropped off, you should consider getting your folate levels checked by a physician. Maintaining proper folate levels will promote a faster, healthier metabolism. 

Because of its impact on metabolism, folate can affect your body weight. Studies have shown that people who are deficienct in folate have higher rates of obesity. This is due to the fact that folate is used to regulate metabolism. With low folate levels, your body's metabolism will slow down, which could make it harder to lose and/or maintain a healthy weight.

How to Increase Your Intake of Folate

Folate is found in a variety of foods. Leafy green vegetables are one of the top sources of folate. You can find folate in spinach, cabbage, lettuce, brocolli and other leafy green vegetables.

Nuts also contain high concentrations of folate. Whether you prefer peanuts, almonds, pistachios or walnuts, you can increase your intake of folate by eating more nuts. Nuts are loaded in folate. Of course, they also contain other beneficial nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and protein.

There are supplements with folate as well. Folate supplements offer a quick and convenient way to increase your intake of this essential vitamin. Like with most supplements, though, they don't offer the same value as food-based sources of folate. Your body will absorb more folate from food-based sources like leafy green vegetables and nuts.