Diet File: Eat Smart 2

Wanna-be Dads Need Folic Acid

You've probably heard this one many times before: women who want to become pregnant should take folic acid supplements to prevent brain and spinal cord defects, such as spina bifida, in their babies. Now research suggests that folic acid may also be important for prospective fathers.

Scientists at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center in San Francisco, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Alabama in Birmingham studied 48 healthy men whose diets did not include a lot of fruits and vegetables and who did not take vitamin supplements. Their study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, suggests that low levels of folic acid in these men were associated with decreased sperm counts and lower sperm quality, both of which play a role in reproductive function.

The best food sources of folic acid are dark green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, peas and brussels sprouts), orange juice, liver, dried peas and beans. In Canada, white flour, enriched pasta and enriched cornmeal are fortified with folic acid.