folic acid

noun

fo·lic acid | \ ˈfō-lik-

Definition of folic acid

: a crystalline vitamin C₁₉H₁₉N₇O₆ of the B complex that is required for normal production of red blood cells, is used especially in the treatment of nutritional anemias, and occurs chiefly in green leafy vegetables, liver, kidneys, dried beans, and mushrooms

— called also pteroylglutamic acid

Examples of folic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Organ meats are a mixed bag: On one hand, they are packed with nutrients like vitamin A and folic acid, both of which are good for the heart. — Alix Wall, sun-sentinel.com, "Some much-loved American Jewish classic foods may increase risk of cancer," 10 July 2019 Maybe, Farber reasoned, folic acid actually stimulated the bone marrow to make blasts. — Marie Mccullough, https://www.inquirer.com, "How conquering a rare leukemia in children revolutionized cancer care for millions," 6 June 2019 There are different causes of anemia, including having an iron deficiency, having lower-than-normal levels of B-12 and/or folic acid, or having a chronic health condition that leads to anemia. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "What Your Headaches Can Tell You About Your Health," 29 Dec. 2018 Since 1996, all enriched grain products have been required to be fortified with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, or NTDs. — Jonel Aleccia, The Seattle Times, "FDA allows food makers to fortify corn masa to halt birth defects, but few do," 16 Oct. 2018 After folic acid was added to enriched grains, cases of NTDs fell by up to 35 percent in the U.S. — Jonel Aleccia, The Seattle Times, "FDA allows food makers to fortify corn masa to halt birth defects, but few do," 16 Oct. 2018 Today, folic acid is prescribed to every expectant mother to reduce the rate of neurologic birth defects. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "We Are Scientists," 5 June 2018 His team was the first to devise a method to synthesize the vitamin folic acid. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "We Are Scientists," 5 June 2018 There are still cases where a supplement is advised (like folic acid for pregnant women), but on the whole, generally healthy adults might as well just skip them, and use the medicine-cabinet space for something else. — Katie Heaney, The Cut, "Save Yourself the Money and Skip the Multivitamins," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'folic acid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Jul 2019

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The first known use of folic acid was in 1941

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More Definitions for folic acid

folic acid

noun

fo·lic acid | \ ˌfō-lik-

Medical Definition of folic acid

: a crystalline vitamin C₁₉H₁₉N₇O₆ of the B complex that is required for normal production of red blood cells, that is used especially in the treatment of nutritional anemias, and that occurs especially in green leafy vegetables, liver, kidneys, dried beans, and mushrooms

— called also folacin, folate, Lactobacillus casei factor, pteroylglutamic acid, vitamin B_c, vitamin M