Folic Acid Facts

Folic acid is considered a brain food and is needed for energy production and the formation of red blood cells. It strengthens immunity by aiding in the proper formation and functioning of white blood cells.

Another folic acid fact is that it functions as a coenzyme in DNA and RNA synthesis, it is important for healthy cell division and replication. It is involved in protein metabolism, and has been used in the prevention and treatment of folic acid anemia. This nutrient may also help depression and anxiety. It also may be effective in the treatment of uterine cervical dysplasia.

Folic Acid and Pregnancy
Folic acid is very important in pregnancy. It helps to regulate embryonic and fetal nerve cell formation, which is vital for normal development. Folic acid is a B vitamin that can help prevent the vast majority of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord called neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, when taken before pregnancy and in the early weeks of pregnancy. I may also prevent premature birth.

To be effective, a folic acid regimen must begin before conception and continue for at least the first three months of pregnancy. If a woman waits until she knows she is pregnant, it may be too late, because critical events in fetal development occur during the first six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they have conceived.

Deficiency of Folic Acid
Since NTDs originate in the first months of pregnancy, it is important for a woman to have enough folic acid in her body before pregnancy. Folic Acid is recommended for all women of childbearing age because fifty percent of pregnancies are unplanned.

Studies show that women, who consume the recommended amount of this vitamin supplement, before conception and continuing into the first month of pregnancy, reduce their risk of having a baby with certain birth defects of the brain and spine.

The neural tube is the embryonic structure that develops into the brain and spinal cord; this is a structure which starts out as a flat pancake of cells which normally folds into a tube by the twenty-ninth day after conception. When the neural tube does not close completely, the baby has a neural tube defect. About 2,500 babies are born with NTDs each year, and many other NTD affected pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth.

The most common NTDs are spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida is a leading cause of childhood paralysis. Affected children have varying degrees of lower-body paralysis and bladder and bowel control problems. Anencephaly is a fatal condition in which a baby is born with a severely underdeveloped brain and skull

Studies also suggest that folic acid may help prevent some other birth defects as well, including cleft lip and palate.

Researchers and health care providers recommend that all women who can become pregnant consume a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, in addition to eating a healthy diet including foods rich in folic acid.

This is the only sure way a woman can get all the folic acid and other vitamins she needs. Most women get only about 200 micrograms of folic acid a day from their diets. Folic acid works best when combined with vitamin B12 and vitamin C.

Foods Rich in Folic Acid
Folic acid facts show that foods that are naturally rich in folates (natural forms of folic acid found in foods) include beans, peanuts, pork, salmon, tuna, liver, oranges and orange juice. There are many other foods that are rich in folic acids, consult your nutritionist for more details.

The researches on the facts about folic acid also show the body can absorb almost 100 percent of the synthetic form of folic acid and is recommended that women take the synthetic form. Once pregnancy has been confirmed, women should increase their folic acid intake to 600 micrograms a day. Most health care providers recommend a prenatal vitamin that contains at least this amount of folic acid. No more than 1000 micrograms should be taken without the advice of a doctor.