Benefits of Folic Acid:
Folic acid is a B-vitamin (B9) that is necessary for proper cell growth and fetal development. Folic acid is found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains.
Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk by up to 70% that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect. The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida. Spina bifida is an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column and results in severe underdevelopment of the fetal brain, and encephalocele. Neural tube defects affect an estimated 4,000 pregnancies each year. Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect and is the leading cause of childhood paralysis. Anencephaly, another type of neural tube defect that affects the brain, is always fatal. All of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy - usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant.
That's why it's so important for all women of childbearing age to consume folic acid - not just those who are planning to become pregnant. Approximatly 50% of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she's getting enough folic acid.
Though it is possible to obtain the recommended dosage of folic acid through foods, it is difficult. An easy way to be sure you're getting enough folic acid is to take a vitamin with folic acid in it. It has been recommended that all women of childbearing years should take 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid daily to prevent having a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect.
Doctors and scientists are still not completely sure why folic acid has such a profound effect on the prevention of neural tube defects, but they do know that this vitamin is crucial in the development of DNA. As a result, folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development as well as tissue formation.
It is also important to know that the human body actually absorbs the synthetic form of folic acid better than the natural form of folic acid called “folate.”
Other Folic Acid Benefits
New research suggests that folic acid can also help prevent other birth defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate. Additional health benefits associated with folic acid include reductions in depression, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. Studies have shown that folic acid, in combination with vitamins B12 and B6, can help prevent recurrence of blocked arteries in patients who have undergone angioplasty. Folic acid may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease by protecting the neurons critical for learning and memory. Emerging research suggests that folic acid deficiency can also increase the brain’s susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment