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Fantastic facts about Folic Acid every woman should know | 01st June, 2017

 What is folic acid?

Folic acid is a type of B vitamin that is normally found in foods such as dried beans, peas, lentils, oranges, whole-wheat products, liver, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach.
 
Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells, and also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer.
 
As a medication, folic acid is used to treat folic acid deficiency and certain types of anemia (lack of red blood cells) caused by folic acid deficiency.
 
Folic acid is sometimes used in combination with other medications to treat pernicious anemia. However it will not treat Vitamin B12 deficiency and will not prevent possible damage to the spinal cord. Take all of your medications as directed.
 
Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells, and also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer. As a medication, folic acid is used to treat folic acid deficiency and certain types of anemia (lack of red blood cells) caused by folic acid deficiency.
 
Folate occurs naturally in food, and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take folic acid to prevent miscarriage and “neural tube defects,” birth defects such as spina bifida that occur when the fetus spine and back do not close during development.
 
If you are pregnant or might become pregnant, it is critically important to get enough folic acid, the synthetic form of vitamin B9, also known as folate. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) – serious birth defects of the spinal cord (such as spina bifida) and the brain (such as anencephaly).
 
Heart Health
 
How does Folic Acid protect my heart? Folic acid pairs with Vitamin B12 as a coenzyme to help metabolism the amino acids methonine and homocysteine. Without folic acid, homocysteine levels can cause blood to clot more easily than normal and cause cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Studies have shown folic acid may lower homocysteine levels.
 
Folic Acid For Pregnancy
 
Folic acid is quite helpful during the preconception period and pregnancy as well. This is widely used to prevent any birth defects, enhance the fetus development, and increase the chances of conceiving. 
 
Women who want to conceive are recommended daily vitamin supplements for adequate intake of folic acid. Expectant mothers need to begin taking supplements of folic acid during pregnancy period. However, the folic acid supplements should be taken as per the dose advised by the doctor or a medical practitioner.
 
Intake of folic acid in pregnancy not only prevents your baby from serious neural tube defects but it also protects your baby against various other problems like:
 
 
Low birth weight
Poor growth in the womb
Cleft lip and palate
Premature birth
Miscarriage
how much folic acid during pregnancy? The recommended folic acid pregnancy dose is as follows:
 
400 mcg per day is recommended for women who are trying to conceive.
400 mcg per day is recommended during the first three months of pregnancy.
600 mcg per day is recommended from the fourth month to the ninth month of pregnancy.
500 mcg per day is recommended during the breastfeeding period.
 
Acne
 
Folic acid, with other important antioxidants, helps in eliminating toxins from the body, which can reduce acne on the face. But, we should also note that the overdose of folic acid can lead to more acne, patchy and dry skin.
 
Hair Growth
 
Folic acid plays an important role in hair growth. It renews the cells that aid the growth of hair. Folic acid deficiency can lead to premature graying and hair loss.
 
Red Blood Cells
 
Folic acid has an important function in red blood cells. White blood cells are also produced with the help of folate supplements.
 
Healthy Glow
 
The proper intake of folic acid can give ones skin a natural, healthy, and moisturized glow.
 
Heart Disease
 
Folic acid, along with vitamin B12, helps the heart in many ways. They help reduce blood clotting; blood clots lead to cardiovascular disease. Hence, it helps reduce the chances of heart attacks.
 
Firm Skin
 
Folic acid helps improve the firmness of the human skin. It also helps reduce the signs of skin aging.
 
Alzheimers
 
Adequate amounts of folic acid may help the patients suffering from Alzheimers disease. Folic acid also helps in preventing memory loss due to aging.
 
Diabetes
 
Folic acid can reduce the fat content in the blood. This may help in handling obesity and thus, prevent type 2 diabetes.
 
Male Fertility
 
Folic acid is also important for dads-to-be. It helps in conception by correcting the sperm counts and motility.
 
Gum Infection
 
Folic acid can be directly applied to the gum to cure gum infections.
 
Anemia
 
Anemia is an extremely common problem now, affecting all, starting from the kids to the elderly people. Women are especially prone to becoming anemic because they tend to ignore their own diet and health issues.
 
If you feel tired all the time and look pale and feel dizzy often, you should get yourself checked for anemia. Other symptoms include difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest, headaches and palpitations. Both iron and folic acid not only prevent, but also cure anemia. 
 
As you already know, iron is needed for the formation of red blood cells. Similarly, folate also helps Vitamin B12 in the formation of RBCs. Make sure to take your required daily intake of iron and folic acid to get enough blood pumping through your veins.
 
Menstruation
 
Some women lose a lot of blood during these days. If you experience heavy flow during periods and feel more exhausted, then the reason might be the deficiency of iron and folic acid. Taking foods rich in iron and folic acid will help improve the condition. You can consult with your doctor if you need supplements.
 
Some factors are found to be responsible for folic acid deficiency, which are; 
 
Diet
 
The main cause of folic acid deficiency is an imbalanced diet, which contains low quantities of fresh vegetables, fruits, and fortified cereals. Over cooking of foods may destroy folic acid.
 
Diseases
 
Diseases such as Crohns disease and Celiac disease, which affect the absorption of folic acid in the gastrointestinal tract can cause folic acid deficiency.
 
Side Effects Of Medications
 
Certain medications as sulfasalazine, phenytoin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole are found to cause folic acid deficiency.
 
Excessive Alcohol Consumption
 
Alcohol is found to interfere with folic acid absorption. Alcohol increases the excretion of folic acid through urination.
 
Oral Contraceptive Pills
 
Studies reveal that oral contraceptive pills are found to interfere with the absorption of folic acid from the food.
 
Folic Acid Deficiency Symptoms
 
Folic acid deficiency is commonly found in a number of individuals. Deficiency of folic acid may cause symptoms which are often subtle. Some of the common symptoms  of folic acid deficiency are:
 
Fatigue and tiredness
Mouth ulcers
Peptic Ulcers
Swollen tongue or glossitis
Grey hair
Poor growth
Loss of appetite
 
THE RISK of having a child with cleft lip or palate is more than four times higher if mothers do not take folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy, researchers at Trinity College Dublin have established.
 
Lack of folic acid early in pregnancy is known to cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida, but this is the first study to show a strong association between maternal folic acid intake and the risk of a baby developing an orofacial cleft deformity.
 
Always remember, your Health First!
 
Mawuena Workartey / Ghanahospitals.org

     
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