Folic acid is a water-soluble form of the vitamin B. Foods that are naturally high in folic acid include leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), okra, asparagus, fruits (such as banana, melon, and lemon) beans, yeast, mushrooms, meat (such as beef liver and kidney), orange juice. and tomato juice.
What is Folic Acid?
Folic acid is a synthetic, water-soluble vitamin used in supplements and fortified foods. It is a man-made version of folate, a naturally occurring B vitamin found in many foods. Your body cannot produce folate, so it must be taken through diet.
Although the words folate and folic acid are often used interchangeably, these vitamins are different. Their structures and effects on the body are different from each other.
Folic acid plays a role in a number of vital metabolic processes, and its deficiency leads to a number of adverse health consequences, including megaloblastic anemia, increased risk of heart disease, certain cancers and birth defects in babies whose mothers are folate deficient.
There are many reasons for folic acid deficiency, including:
- poor dietary intake
- Diseases or surgeries that affect folate absorption in the digestive tract, including celiac disease, gastric bypass, and short bowel syndrome
- low stomach acid
- drugs that affect folate absorption, including methotrexate and sulfasalazine
- alcoholism
- pregnancy
- hemolytic anemia
- dialysis
What are the Benefits of Folic Acid?
There are many answers to the question of "what are the benefits of folic acid?”. Folic acid prevents and treats low folate levels in the blood (folate deficiency) and high blood homocysteine levels (hyperhomocysteinemia). Taking folic acid is especially important for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant, for the health of both themselves and their babies. These are serious birth defects such as spina bifida, where the fetal spine and back do not close in the uterus. Folic acid is also used in many other conditions in the elderly, such as depression, stroke, memory decline and thinking skills that are greater than normal for their age, and others.
Benefits of Taking Folic Acid
Both folic acid and folate are commonly taken in supplement form for a variety of reasons. Although folic acid and folate supplements are typically used to treat the same conditions, they have different effects on the body and therefore can affect health in different ways. The human body needs folic acid for its proper development. It plays a role in the production of genetic material called DNA and many other bodily functions. The daily dose of folic acid is 400 mcg DFE for adults, 600 mcg DFE for pregnant women and 500 mcg DFE for breastfeeding women.
Although these needs can be met through diet, taking supplements is a viable way to meet folic acid needs for many people, especially those at risk of deficiency, including pregnant women and older people. Folic acid supplements are important, especially since pregnant women need a large amount of folic acid on a daily basis and it will be difficult to take with food. You can choose Nutraxin to meet your folic acid needs.