NOW Foods Folic Acid 800 mcg + B-12 Review
#2 of 9 · Best Value✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Sep 7, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Buy it. Cheapest proven folate, with a B-12 bonus. Same trial-proven folic acid as our #1, at a higher 800 mcg dose and lower price.
$8 approx~$0.03 / tablet
Why It Scores 7.9 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Form & Evidence Base
30% of scoreUses folic acid, the exact form validated in the MRC and Czeizel trials and recommended by the USPSTF. Standard synthetic folic acid, well-absorbed; the 25 mcg B-12 supports the same one-carbon metabolism pathway.
- Form
- Folic acid tablet + B-12
Dose vs Clinical Target
25% of score800 mcg is at the top of the 400–800 mcg DFE prenatal range — fine and well within safe limits, though more than the 400 mcg minimum most need.
- Dose
- 800 mcg folic acid + 25 mcg vitamin B-12
Third-Party Testing & Purity
20% of scoreGMP Quality Assured and Non-GMO, but self-attested; no independent USP or NSF seal like the top pick.
- Testing / Certification
- Non-GMO, Kosher, GMP Quality Assured
Tolerability & Safety
15% of scoreDoubling the dose to 800 mcg stays well under the 1,000 mcg tolerable upper intake for folic acid and gives a comfortable margin, and the included B-12 addresses the second nutrient in the homocysteine pathway.
Value
10% of scoreRoughly $0.03 per tablet — the lowest cost-per-dose on the entire list.
- Count
- 250 tablets
- Cost per dose
- ~$0.03 per tablet
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Sep 7, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
800 mcg folic acid provides NTD protection
800 mcg sits within the USPSTF-recommended 400–800 mcg folic acid range (PMID 28097362); the Cochrane review (PMID 26662928) confirms folic acid's protective effect across this dose window.
Adding B-12 improves homocysteine metabolism
Folate and B-12 jointly lower homocysteine, but a 25 mcg B-12 dose is modest and the clinical benefit of homocysteine-lowering for pregnancy outcomes is not firmly established.
What Our Test Actually Found
800 mcg is safe but not necessarily better
Doubling the dose to 800 mcg stays well under the 1,000 mcg tolerable upper intake for folic acid and gives a comfortable margin, but there is no evidence 800 mcg prevents more NTDs than 400 mcg for the average woman.
B-12 pairing is sensible, not transformative
Including B-12 addresses the second nutrient in the homocysteine pathway and can help vegetarians, but 25 mcg is a supportive touch rather than a therapeutic dose.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- Same trial-proven folic acid form as the #1 pick
- Lowest cost per dose on the list (~$0.03/tablet)
- Higher 800 mcg dose gives margin above the minimum
- Includes B-12 to support homocysteine metabolism
- 250-count bottle lasts over eight months
- Only self-attested GMP testing, no independent USP/NSF seal
- 800 mcg is more than most women actually need
- Same trial-proven folic acid form as the #1 pick
- Lowest cost per dose on the list (~$0.03/tablet)
- Higher 800 mcg dose gives margin above the minimum
- Only self-attested GMP testing, no independent USP/NSF seal
- 800 mcg is more than most women actually need
Same trial-proven folic acid as our #1, at a higher 800 mcg dose and lower price. The added B-12 is a reasonable extra. It ranks just behind only because it lacks an independent USP audit.
NOW's folic acid tablet clears the prenatal folate target with room to spare — 800 mcg of folic acid, the same NTD-proven form as our top pick, plus 25 mcg of B-12 to support homocysteine metabolism. At roughly $8 for 250 tablets it is the cheapest way here to exceed the 400 mcg minimum. It loses a hair to Nature Made only because it carries GMP self-attestation rather than an independent USP seal, but the underlying substance and evidence are identical. If you want margin above the minimum dose and a token of B-12, this is the value play.
The value winner for proven folate
If cost is the deciding factor and you still want the evidence-based form, this is the pick. You get the same folic acid used in the NTD trials, a generous dose, and B-12, for the least money. The only reason it sits at #2 is the absence of an independent testing seal — a real but modest gap versus Nature Made.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
01Nature Made 400 mcg
This is the default folate for nearly every woman: the proven form, the proven dose, and the one product here carrying USP verification.
03Solgar Folic Acid 400
An excellent, no-nonsense folic acid at the textbook dose from a brand people trust.
Quick Answers
Is 800 mcg too much folic acid?
No. 800 mcg is at the top of the recommended prenatal range and well below the 1,000 mcg upper limit for folic acid from supplements. It simply gives more margin than the 400 mcg minimum.
Why does this rank below Nature Made if it's cheaper?
Because quality evidence beats price on our method. Both use the same proven folic acid, but Nature Made carries an independent USP Verified seal while NOW relies on self-attested GMP testing.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] US Preventive Services Task Force. Folic Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects. JAMA. 2017;317(2):183-189. PMID 28097362 — Folic Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects. Recommends 400–800 mcg folic acid daily for those who could become pregnant.
- [2] De-Regil LM, Peña-Rosas JP, Fernández-Gaxiola AC, Rayco-Solon P. Effects and safety of periconceptional oral folate supplementation for preventing birth defects. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(12):CD007950. PMID 26662928 — Effects and safety of periconceptional oral folate supplementation for preventing birth defects. Folate supplementation had a protective effect against neural-tube defects.
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