Folic Acid Information Folic Acid to Fight Against Birth Defects Folic Acid Usage Information Heart and Other Health Benefits to taking Folic Acid Food Sources of Folic Acid / Folate
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Folic Acid / Folate Information Folic acid, also known as folate, is a B-vitamin (B 9) that can be found in some enriched foods and vitamin pills. If women have enough of it in their bodies before pregnancy, this vitamin can decrease the risk for neural tube defects (NTDs), which are birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) or spine (spina bifida).
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Folic Acid to Fight Against Birth Defects Folic acid in a vitamin supplement, when taken one month before conception and throughout the first trimester, has been proven to reduce the risk for an NTD-affected pregnancy by 50 to 70 percent. Folic acid is necessary for proper cell growth and development of the embryo. Although it is not known exactly how folic acid works to prevent NTDs, its role in tissue formation is essential. Folic acid is required for the production of DNA, which is necessary for the rapid cell growth needed to make fetal tissues and organs early in pregnancy. That is why it is important for a woman to have enough folic acid in her body both before and during pregnancy. For many women, an easy way to be sure you're getting enough folic acid is to take a vitamin with folic acid in it. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women who could possibly become pregnant get 400 micrograms(mcg) (or 0.4 mg) of folic acid every day. This could prevent up to 70% of some types of serious birth defects. To do this, women need folic acid at least one month before they get pregnant. That's why you should always get enough folic acid every day even if you're not thinking about a baby any time soon. Folic acid has been added to some foods, such as enriched breads, pastas, rice, and cereals. A few cereals have 100 percent of the folic acid you need. No one expects an unplanned pregnancy. But they happen every day. In fact, about half of all pregnancies are not planned. That's why you should get enough folic acid every day if there's any chance you could get pregnant. Because by the time you know you're pregnant, your baby's brain and spine are already formed. Neural tube defects (NTDs) occure between the 17th and 30th day after conception (or 4 to 6 weeks after the first day of a woman's last menstrual period), the neural tube forms in the embryo (developing baby) and then closes. The neural tube later becomes the baby's spinal cord, spine, brain, and skull. A neural tube defect (NTD) occurs when the neural tube fails to close properly, leaving the developing brain or spinal cord exposed to the amniotic fluid. The two most common neural tube defects are anencephaly and spina bifida.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Folic Acid Usage Information Folic acid has no known toxic level. If you were to eat a bowl of fully fortified cereal (400 micrograms), take a folic acid supplement (400 mcq), and eat fortified foods and foods rich in folate, women of reproductive age would not have a problem with too much folic acid. Even in very high amounts folic acid is non-toxic. Nevertheless, it is recommended that women consume no more than 1,000 micrograms of supplemental folic acid a day. Large amounts of folic acid may hide the ability to quickly diagnose a rare vitamin B-12 deficiency, pernicious anemia. This condition primarily affects the elderly population and, in some cases, can lead to neurological damage. Today, doctors can use a simple test to check for a B-12 deficiency. Folic Acid is often supplemented with B-12 to insure this deficiency does not occure.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Heart and Other Health Benefits to taking Folic Acid. High levels of the amino acid homocysteine are independently associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. It has been shown that taking folic acid lowers homocysteine levels in both men and women, but it is not yet known whether folic acid supplementation also lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. There are some indications that folic acid use may also reduce the risk for other birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate and certain congenital heart defects. Folic acid may also play a role in protecting against some forms of cancer and heart disease. More research is needed to understand the impact of folic acid in preventing those diseases and other birth defects.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Food Sources of Folic Acid / Folate FOOD SOURCES OF FOLATE Micrograms (per 100 g of food-3.5 oz) dark-green leafy vegetables120-160 other vegetables 40-100 fruits (particularly citrus)50-100 beans (legumes) 50-300 whole grains 60-120 breakfast cereals 100 or 400
