Folic Acid facts

While investigating facts about Folic Acid Foods and Folic Acid Deficiency, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Folic acid (vitamin B9) has been added to grains in the U.S. to prevent the birth defects spina bifida and anencephaly since 1998, but most of Europe including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, as well as China, India and more than 60 other countries still do not fortify grains with folic acid.

how folic acid helps to get pregnant?

Folic acid has been researched for prevention of heart disease, stroke, depression, behavioral problems, and age-related eye problems. It has also been researched in an effort to combat cancer, anemia, and other disorders.

What's folic acid for?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what's folic acid used for. Here are 20 of the best facts about Folic Acid Benefits and Folic Acid Tablets I managed to collect.

what folic acid good for?

1. The most important time for a woman who wants to become pregnant (or even MIGHT become pregnant) is to take folic acid for a couple months before she becomes pregnant.

2. Folic acid is named from a latin word (folium) which means leaf. This comes from the fact that leafy vegetables are very rich in folic acid.

3. A lack of folic acid (also called a deficiency) can cause many different things to happen (called symptoms). These can include diarrhea, weakness, shortness of breath, nerve damage, mental confusion, forgetfulness, depression, sore or swollen tongue, headaches, funny heartbeats (called palpitations), irritability, and small sores in the mouth and stomach (called ulcers).

4. Since folic acid is so important for cells that are rapidly growing and dividing, many cancer drugs are focused on interfering with folic acid. These drugs have the effect of slowing or stopping growth of cancer cells, but also affect good cells, and have many side effects.

5. Lack of folic acid can also cause a decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the body. This condition is called anemia. The type of anemia caused by folic acid deficiency is called a macrocytic anemia. Macrocytic means "large cells." So, lack of folic acid causes low levels of red blood cells, and the individual red blood cells are really large.

6. Folic acid is so important to human health, it is included in many types of foods, especially breakfast cereal. The process to add a vitamin to other foods is called fortification. So, a cereal that has added vitamins is called fortified.

7. Peanuts contain phytic acid, phytosterols, and folic acid, which have shown to be anti-cancer effects.

8. Raspberries are excellent source of dietary fibers, vitamins C, E and B9 (folic acid) and minerals such as manganese and magnesium

9. Low levels of folic acid in a mother who is pregnant can cause several different problems with the developing baby. The most serious of these can cause problems with brain and spinal cord development, and are called neural tube defects.

10. Leafy vegetables (spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, lettuce, some Asian vegetables) are great natural sources of folic acid, but there are many others - legumes (beans, peas, lentils), egg yolks, baker's yeast, sunflower seeds, liver, kidneys, and fortified grains (pasta, cereal, bread).

Why folic acid is important?

You can easily fact check why folic acid for pregnancy by examining the linked well-known sources.

Hazelnuts are rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (type of heart-friendly fatty acids), dietary fibers, vitamins A, E and folic acid (B9) and minerals such as manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.

Blackberries contain B vitamins, folic acid, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and niacin. These are all essential for metabolizing carbohydrates, fats, and protein in the body.

Chives are rich source of vitamin K, C and folic acid and minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron.

Some foods have more moderate amounts of folic acid = fruits such as oranges, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit, banana, raspberry, strawberries all have moderate amounts. Some vegetables also have more moderate amounts = beets, corn, tomato juice, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, romaine lettuce, and bok choy.

To decrease cases of Spina Bifida, the U.S. Food & Drugs Administration decided to, in 1996, add Folic Acid to the flour we consume. This vitamin B only reduces risk of such malformation if taken before fertilization. When only after, all neural tube damage that could occur, already have. - source

When folic acid should be taken?

Megadoses of methyl vitamins including folic acid in pregnant mammals may constitute an "obesogenic" (i.e., obesity-producing) diet for the offspring, correlating with population increases in obesity since the revised 1992 guidelines from the US Public Health Service.

How folic acid should be taken?

Excess Folic Acid in Pregnancy is Tied to Autism Risk