Folic acid is the synthetic counterpart to folate, a B vitamin that can be found naturally in certain plant foods. Of the two, folic acid is the more readily available—the body absorbs about twice as much folic acid at any given time—but they play the same role in good health.

Cell reproduction is among folate’s most important duties. Folate is necessary for making the nucleic acids DNA and RNA and, as such, folate helps to produce and maintain cells, a role that is critical during times of rapid growth, such as pregnancy and infancy. This also explains why folate/folic acid is so important in maintaining normal brain function.