The ultimate ingredient, folic acid is the new craze! Folate or folic acid is a common ingredient found in numerous household food products. Many people use folic acid and folate interchangeably without really knowing the difference. Folic acid is the synthetically formed product that is modified to have the same effects as folate. Folate is what is found naturally in the products of the earth. Folate is found in many green leafy vegetables such as: lettuce, spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, mustard, cabbage, broccoli and parsley (Tuszyńska, 2012). According to Tuszynska, although leafy vegetables are among the main group where folate can be found, a variety of beans such as: red, black, pinto, green beans and chickpeas also contain folate. Furthermore, folates can also be found in cauliflower, chard, lentils, cabbage and citrus fruits. Finding folate isn't necessarily a difficult thing to do, unfortunately, it's also the main vitamin that men between the ages of 30 and 64 are severely lacking. 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 found 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 a major cause of: high rates of depression, impaired coordination, and poor memory (Wisløff et al., 2012). Although study participants consisted of a mix of males and females, males experienced more severe mood imbalance effects despite being depleted of folate. In men, the intake of a greater amount of folic......middle of paper......n physical, mental and emotional well-being. Proper management of folic acid can be immensely beneficial to the human body, but, on the other hand, if used improperly, it can be disadvantageous. Bibliography Sengpiel, V., Bacelis, J., Myhre, R., Myking, S., Devold Pay, A., Haugen, M., & ... 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: presence and role in human nutrition. Horticultural Crops Research Bulletin, 7643-54. Doi: 10.2478/v10032-012-0003-4Wisløff T, Vienna 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. Doi: 10.1136/2011-0006-53