Folic acid in sport – its importance for athletes

Regular physical activity boosts the rate of many processes within the body, making your daily diet even more important. This applies, among other things, to B vitamins. Among these, folates (including folic acid) play a key role, as their function is not limited to a single area but regulates several important biochemical and physiological processes that are vital on a daily basis. In the context of sport, attention is most often drawn to the role of folates in normal blood production and in the process of cell division.

1. Folic acid and an athlete’s blood
2. Folic acid and tissue development
3. Folic acid in the diet

Folic acid and an athlete’s blood

Blood production

Folic acids contribute to normal blood production, which is why an adequate supply is also important for people who exercise regularly. During training, the body’s tissues have an increased demand for oxygen and nutrients, and the supply of these depends on the efficient functioning of the cardiovascular system and the normal formation of blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen, so maintaining their proper production remains important regardless of whether someone exercises recreationally or trains more frequently and intensively.

Not just training

It is worth noting that it is not only the training itself that matters here, but also the overall strain on the body resulting from combining physical activity with work, study, stress and recovery between training sessions. The more regular the exercise, the more important it is to ensure a steady supply of the nutrients needed to support the body’s basic functions.

What should you bear in mind?

It is worth noting that folates do not act as a quick fix to boost performance before a workout and do not produce immediate results, but are necessary to maintain the proper functioning of the processes on which the body’s day-to-day functioning depends. Too little folate in the diet can, over time, hinder normal blood production, which is not beneficial for either your well-being or your ability to cope with physical exertion.

"Folic acid is essential for the synthesis of choline, glycine, glutamic acid, and components of DNA and purine nucleotides. Without overcomplicating the matter, it is enough to remember that it is essential for the regenerative and repair processes of all cells." Łukasz Domeracki – Dietitian

Folic acid and tissue development

A second important area is the role of folic acid in the process of cell division, which is crucial for tissue regeneration and maintaining the body’s proper functioning. Regular physical exercise involves repeated strain on muscles, tendons, skin and other structures, which undergo natural repair and regeneration processes after training.

Regeneration

This does not refer solely to recovery after very strenuous exercise, but also to the daily regeneration of cells and tissues, which occurs regardless of one’s level of athletic performance. For this process to proceed correctly, not only protein, energy and sleep are required, but also vitamins involved in fundamental cellular processes. Folates belong precisely to this group.

Tissue regeneration

Their role is not to dramatically accelerate the effects of training, but to participate in processes without which tissue regeneration and maintenance cannot proceed properly. This is important both for those practising endurance, strength and team sports, and for those who simply wish to maintain good fitness and exercise regularly several times a week.

Estimated folate content in a typical portion of selected foods

Folic acid in the diet

The best sources of folate are primarily liver, pulses and green leafy vegetables, though it is also found in asparagus, broccoli, avocados and certain nuts and seeds. In the daily diet, lentils, chickpeas, beans, spinach, lettuce and parsley are particularly practical, as they can be easily incorporated into a wide variety of meals.

In supplements, folates are most commonly found as folic acid or in active forms, usually under the name calcium L-methylfolate or 5-MTHF, i.e. 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. They can be found in single-ingredient preparations, B-vitamin complexes, multivitamins and supplements for women planning pregnancy and those who are pregnant.

The most common doses are 400 µg, 600 µg or 800 µg of folates per daily dose. The Reference Intake (RI) for folates in adults in the European Union is 200 µg per day, so a supplement dose providing 400 µg covers 200% of the RI.

Sources:

• Habte, K., Adish, A., Zerfu, D., Kebede, A., Moges, T., Tesfaye, B., Challa, F., & Baye, K. (2015). Iron, folate and vitamin B12 status of Ethiopian professional runners. Nutrition & metabolism, 12, 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-015-0056-8
• Woolf, K., Hahn, N. L., Christensen, M. M., Carlson-Phillips, A., & Hansen, C. M. (2017). Nutrition Assessment of B-Vitamins in Highly Active and Sedentary Women. Nutrients, 9(4), 329. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9040329
• Bailey, L. B., Stover, P. J., McNulty, H., Fenech, M. F., Gregory, J. F., 3rd, Mills, J. L., Pfeiffer, C. M., Fazili, Z., Zhang, M., Ueland, P. M., Molloy, A. M., Caudill, M. A., Shane, B., Berry, R. J., Bailey, R. L., Hausman, D. B., Raghavan, R., & Raiten, D. J. (2015). Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development-Folate Review. The Journal of nutrition, 145(7), 1636S–1680S. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.206599