Many people are aware of the benefits of folate and folic acid in women, especially before and during pregnancy as it is crucial for reducing birth defects in the brain and spine. But fewer know just how important folate (vitamin B9) is for male reproductive health and virility, hair loss, and more. Folate is critical for the formation of red blood cells and is key for breaking down homocysteine in the body. Red blood cells transport oxygen around the body and high levels of homocysteine in the blood are associated with increased risk of damaged arteries, blood clots, and heart attacks.
Lots of things can impact our levels of folate, including our diet and lifestyle choices, chronic or autoimmune conditions, as well as our genetics. While folate deficiencies are typically rare, there are definitely reasons for men to include folate-rich foods into their diets, or even consider a folic acid supplement.
What is the difference between folate and folic acid?
Folate is the name for vitamin B9, one of the B-complex vitamins, and an essential nutrient as we cannot make it in our bodies. Folate is found naturally in many different foods, such as nuts, leafy green vegetables, and avocado, but also animal products like eggs and beef liver.
Folic acid is the synthetic version of B9 found in most commercially available supplements, multivitamins, and fortified foods. Synthetic folic acid can take a longer for your body to convert to its active form in your digestive system, so it is not always absorbed and used quite as easily as folate from foods.
We often suggest trying to get as much of the nutrients your body needs from whole, unprocessed foods first rather than relying on supplements, and this is why. More often than not, the naturally occurring form of a nutrient is much more bioavailable than the synthetic version, meaning our bodies convert and use it much more easily.
Some people have even greater difficulty converting folic acid to its active form due to a genetic variant, leaving unprocessed folic acid floating in the blood. This is important because several health risks, including an increased risk for cancer, have been associated with high levels of unmetabolized folic acid in the blood.
Why is folic acid important for men?
Folic acid is a commonly recommended supplement for women, especially women who are preparing to be or are pregnant. B9 is an important vitamin for the proper development of a fetus's brain and spine.
For men, the importance of folate is not as well publicized, but there are some big reasons for men to get enough B9. Hair loss, mental health, cardiac health, and male virility can all be impacted by folate levels.
Hair loss
While research on folate helping with hair loss is still fairly new, there are some promising signs. There are a lot of products on the market containing folic acid that promote hair growth, and most of them don’t do much. Folate is known for promoting cell growth, and that can include hair follicles. Methionine, which folate helps to create from homocysteine, is critical for cellular repair. Some smaller studies have shown that people with early graying had low levels of folate, biotin, and B12. But as we mentioned, there is not much direct evidence to show folate helping with hair loss or premature graying, for now.
Most likely, the biggest effect folate has on hair loss is on the promotion of cellular health and cell growth. Along with other key nutrients, folate may help reduce chronic inflammation in blood vessels and around hair follicles, encouraging healthy growth cycles.
Mental health
While research is still somewhat limited, there is evidence to suggest that low folate levels in the blood is associated with depression. In several studies, people with depression often had lower levels of folate and ate less folate in their diet than people without depression. Additionally, people who took a folic acid supplement along with an antidepressant saw a significant reduction in symptoms of depression more than just an antidepressant alone.
This could have something to do with the role folate plays in reducing inflammation. While folate deficiency is certainly not the largest factor in chronic inflammation, it makes an appearance. Chronic inflammation is associated with increased stress and risk of depression, so any steps we can take to reduce inflammation in the body can help with the risk of developing depression.
Folate is also necessary for the production of important neurotransmitters and hormones that improve mood and mental well-being. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin all need an active form of folate produced in the liver to synthesize.
Reproductive health
Much like with hair loss, there are many products on the market that are aimed at male virility and reproductive health. Often, these products contain folic acid and zinc - both critically important nutrients to be sure - but studies have been mixed. Some research has shown that, at least in men with fertility issues, a folic acid and zinc supplement increased sperm count and quality, compared to a placebo. Unfortunately, other studies have shown no effect.
It may come down to the basics of what B9 is most used for in the body, converting homocysteine to methionine, a critical element in metabolism and detoxification. The male reproductive system is very sensitive to toxins, so when toxins build up or are not cleared from the body, they can impact sperm count and quality, as well as prostate health and erectile dysfunction.
Cardiac health
Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Our bodies use homocysteine to convert into substances like methionine and cysteine. Cysteine is helpful with reducing inflammation in the body, and as discussed above, methionine is an important antioxidant.
When we don’t convert homocysteine, it can build up and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Folate or folic acid are what our bodies use to convert homocysteine into methionine and cysteine, so increased levels of B9 have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk. Because of those helpful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of methionine and cysteine, folic acid is associated with improved blood flow and lower blood pressure.
Why should men increase their folate intake?
While folate is an easily accessible nutrient from whole, nutrient-dense foods, our modern diets may make it tough for many men to get enough from food alone. As we mentioned earlier, we always recommend getting nutrients first from the foods you eat. There are a lot of steps from our modern diet to a more thoughtfully prepared, whole-food way of eating, so it can make sense for some men to supplement with folic acid.
On top of a less than ideal diet, there are certain habits and even chronic conditions that can create a folate deficiency.
On top of a less than ideal diet, there are certain habits and even chronic conditions that can create a folate deficiency.Alcohol consumption
Alcohol can reduce the body’s ability to absorb folate and can speed up how quickly folate is broken down and excreted from the body. For someone who regularly enjoys an alcoholic beverage with dinner or while watching the game, folic acid could be a helpful supplement.
Chronic digestive disorders
There are autoimmune and chronic digestive disorders that can impair the body’s absorption of folate. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases all decrease our ability to absorb B9. Additionally, certain bowel surgeries, or surgeries that affect the level of stomach acid may impact absorption. In cases of chronic or autoimmune disorders, diet and lifestyle changes can help improve how well your body absorbs nutrients, including folate. While a folic acid supplement may still be appropriate for someone with a chronic or autoimmune disorder, they may see improvements with whole food sources as well.
Poor diet
Probably the single biggest cause of folic acid deficiency in men is a modern American diet that does not provide enough macro and micronutrients. Of course, folic acid can be supplemented, but as we discussed above the supplement is not always as easily absorbed in the body. Additionally, high doses of supplemental folic acid may have adverse side effects and could interact with certain medications.
This is all to say that improving your diet to a more nutrient-dense, whole-food diet may be the most effective way to improve your folate levels. Of course, this is important for more than just folate. Your body needs dozens of macro and micronutrients to function properly, make hormones, and manage inflammation. All of these things impact a man’s mental, physical, and reproductive health.
So, what are the best sources of folate and folic acid? Let’s look at a few.
Sources of folate and folic acid
As we’ve mentioned, folate is the natural version of B9 found in plant and animal foods. Folic acid is the synthetic version of B9, and is found in supplements, multivitamins, and fortified foods like cereals.
Food sources of folate:
- Beef liver
- Dark leafy green veggies, like broccoli, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus
- Legumes (kidney beans, black-eyed peas, peanuts, and lentils)
- Eggs and milk
- Fish and crab
- Ground beef
- Chicken breast
Of course, we may not get enough folate from the food in our diet, or for one reason or another have a condition that causes a folate deficiency. In those cases, a supplement or a fortified food is helpful to balance levels of B9.
Supplemental sources of folic acid
Fortified grains and cereals are one way of getting additional folic acid. These foods have folic acid added to them in processing or are “fortified” with folic acid. The reason for doing this was to help improve nutrient deficiencies after World War I and World War II. Critical nutrients like iodine, iron, riboflavin, and niacin have been added to staples like salt, grain and rice flours, and bread. Folic acid was added to “enriched” flours most recently in 1998 .
Folic acid supplements are very common and relatively inexpensive. They can be found as a stand-alone supplement, paired with one or two other vitamins (often B12) or in multivitamins, typically marketed as a prenatal supplement. While there are plenty of options to choose from, here are a few of our favorite folic acid supplements for men:
This Nature’s Way multivitamin contains a number of really helpful, health-boosting nutrients. It includes folic acid as well as several other B vitamins like B1, B2, B6, B5,and B12, plus a variety of nutrients that aid digestion, metabolism, and blood sugar regulation like taurine, fenugreek, and quercetin. Since this contains several fat soluble vitamins, we recommend taking it with a meal.
There are plenty of reasons to take a full B complex supplement. B vitamins are a group of nutrients that help with a huge variety of body functions, including digestion and metabolism, adrenal support, balancing stress, among others.
Some B complex vitamins tend to be more energetic, meaning they have more of the B’s that help with metabolism and energy production. The Nordic Naturals B complex leans more in the calming direction with high levels of B12 which is linked to helping with depression and anxiety, B6 which is connected with increased levels of serotonin, and B2 which is associated with reducing oxidative stress. This B complex also includes the natural form of B9, folate, rather than the synthetic folic acid.
If you’re feeling you just need a little extra support for hair loss, reproductive health, cardiac health, or mental health, a single nutrient supplement like the Bio-Tech folic acid is a great choice. This vitamin has one of the higher levels of folic acid on the market, making it a solid option for men with a deficiency due to an autoimmune condition or as the result of surgery.
Folate or folic acid is one of the critical B vitamins that your body needs for normal function. While it is largely promoted for women supporting the prenatal stage and pregnancy, men should take care to get enough B9, as well. While uncommon, folate deficiencies do happen in men, and can be tested for either with an at home folate test or through your doctor. But if you have noticed a decrease in your libido, hair thinning, or even your mood changing, those might be signs you need to increase your folic acid levels.
As we mentioned earlier, we recommend getting folate and all your B vitamins from unprocessed nutrient dense whole foods. If you’re eating a well-balanced diet consisting of pasture-raised meat and eggs, sustainably sourced fish, and organic vegetables, your folate levels are probably in a good place. Though if your diet isn’t where you want it to be, or if you have a deficiency caused by a chronic or autoimmune condition, we highly recommend working on getting your folate levels up, either via whole food sources or supplements.
Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of folate? Are you looking for help getting your diet back on track? A Curated Wellness practitioner is available to work with you on your diet and wellness goals. Ready to get started? Subscribe to our Practitioner Starter or Cornerstones of Wellness plan and set up your consultation!
Read more about the author
Joel is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner who began his health journey when he decided to quit cigarettes for good. By finding the motivation to make lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, stress, and sleep, he feels healthier in his 40's than in his 20's and wants to make sure he will be around for a long time. Once he saw results himself, Joel wanted to use his passion for wellness to help other people. Joel has a private practice in Northern California where he helps clients achieve better energy, focus, and connection to their bodies through bio-individual diet and lifestyle changes. Learn more about Joel.
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