The lord of ingredients, folic acid is the new craze! Folate or folic acid is a common ingredient found in many household food products. Many people use folic acid and folate synonymously without really knowing the difference. Folic acid is a synthetic product modified to have the same effects as folate. Folate is what is found naturally in earth products. Folate can be found in many green leafy vegetables such as: lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustards, collard greens, broccoli and parsley (Tuszyńska, 2012). According to Tuszynska, although leafy vegetables are part of the main group in which folate can be found, a variety of beans such as kidney, black, pinto, green and chickpea beans also contain folate. Additionally, folate can also be found in cauliflower, beets, lentils, cabbage and citrus fruits. Finding folate isn't necessarily a difficult thing to do, unfortunately, it's also the main vitamin that's sorely lacking in men ages 30 to 64. In 2003, after conducting a study on the link between folate/folic acid levels and mental ability, the University of York and Hull York Medical School discovered that in 11 completely different cases and with a total of 15 315 participants, high rates of depression were directly linked to low levels of folate/folic acid in blood vessels/blood cells (Wisløff et al., 2012). Folic acid (vitamin B9 or M) has also been found to be one of the main causes of high rates of depression, decreased coordination and poor memory (Wisløff et al., 2012). Although the study participants were a mix of men and women, men experienced more severe effects of mood imbalances while lacking folate. In humans, absorption of greater amounts of folic...... middle of paper ......does improve physical, mental and emotional well-being. Proper handling of folic acid can be extremely beneficial to the human body, but, on the other hand, improper use can be disadvantageous.ReferencesSengpiel, V., Bacelis, J., Myhre, R., Myking, S., Devold Pay, A., Haugen, M. and... Jacobsson, B. (2013). Folic acid supplementation, dietary folate intake during pregnancy and risk of spontaneous preterm birth: a prospective observational cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 13(1), 1-13. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-160Tuszyńska, M. (2012). Folic acid - Occurrence and role in human nutrition. Vegetable Crops Research Bulletin, 7643-54. doi: 10.2478/v10032-012-0003-4Wisløff T, Wien TN, Staff A, Smeland S, Pike E, Klemp M. (2012) Cancer risk with folic acid supplements: a systematic review and meta-analysis . BMJ open, 1-13. I: 10.1136/2011-0006-53