Benefits of Folic Acid

Introduction:

Folic acid, a vitamin B soluble vitamin, occurs naturally in foods and can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Natural folic acids include green leafy vegetables (spinach, carrot), chicken, pork, shellfish, peas, liver, cereals and citrus fish skin. Folic acid is one of the essential elements for the production and maintenance of human cells.

Folic acid deficiency and disease:

Lack of folic acid can cause a variety of disorders. Some of these are highlighted below.

Folic acid deficiency can cause weakness, poor growth, gray hair, tongue inflammation, flutter and behavioral disorders.

Folic acid deficiency is also associated with common stomach disorders including diarrhea, mouth ulcer and peptic ulcer, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women can lead to premature delivery, low birth weight and infants with neural tube defects (NTDs).

o Anemia is sometimes associated with an early stage of folic acid deficiency.

o You may need folic acid intake if you have anemia, have kidney or liver disease, get pregnant or breastfeed. In such cases, you should consult your doctor before taking folic acid supplements.

o The maximum intake of folic acid should be limited to 1000 micro grams per day or as directed by a healthcare provider.

o Some other medicines may interact with folic acid including medications for epilepsy, medications to control blood sugar, methotrexate (a cure for cancer) and diuretics. If you are taking any of these medicines, you should consult your doctor.

o If you are 50 years old, you need to take your vitamin B level 12 before taking folic acid supplements, as this is an opportunity for an interaction between vitamin B12 and folic acid.

Benefits of folic acid:

Role of folic acid during pregnancy:

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are major brain and spinal defects in infants that cause brain or spinal cord damage. Major NTDs include spina bifida (spinal problems) and

Anencephaly (brain problems) and up to 70% of these NTDs can be prevented by taking enough folic acid daily before fertilization and during pregnancy.

A woman may be at high risk for spreading NTD-affected infants if she has previously been affected by NTD, is a diabetic, taking medication to treat epilepsy and Hispanic ethnicity.

Every woman, who may be pregnant, should take 400 grams of folic acid daily. Taking extra folic acid in addition to a healthy diet rich in folic acid before and during pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of developing neural tube defects in infants.

Spina Bifida and Anencephaly Disorders: Spina bifida is a spinal disorder and part of the spine below is damaged and the sacks of fluid are lost behind the baby. Most children born with these spinal disorders can live a full life and often experience lifelong symptoms including inability to move the lower body, loss of bowel and bladder and fluid pressure to the brain.

Anencephaly is a brain disorder and part of the skull bone cannot be formed on the baby. Most babies with this disorder die before or after birth.

The role of folic acid and heart disease:

Low concentrations of folic acid can increase the amino acid homocysteine ​​levels in the blood and thus increase the risk of heart disease. High levels of homocysteine ​​can damage the coronary artery or can lead to blood clotting, but there is no evidence that folic acid increases the risk of heart disease.

The role of folic acid and cancer:

Folic acid is one of the key elements involved in DNA synthesis and its deficiency can lead to DNA damage and consequently cancer. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that folic acid deficiency is associated with increased risk of breast, colon and pancreatic cancer, but it is not recommended to increase folic acid to reduce the risk of cancer.

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