Benefits of Folic Acid, Folate, Vitamin B9 Foods, Pregnancy, Supplements, Deficiency and Side Effects
Folic acid, vitamin B9, is an important water soluble B vitamin because it helps your body create healthy new cells. Its cell producing benefits makes it essential for every body.
Most notably, woman who are in their child bearing years, need to maintain an adequate level of folate in their body. Folic acid deficient women, who become pregnant, put their unborn child at a higher risk of low birth weight, premature birth, and/or neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly.
Recommended daily intake of folate is 400 micrograms, pregnancy and lactation increases to 600 and 500 respectively.
Foods containing folic acid include:
- peas
- nuts
- dried beans
- fruits ~ citrus fruits and juices
- leafy green vegetables ~ spinach & turnip greens
- enriched bread, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas & other grain products
A deficiency of vitamin B9 may occur during:
- liver disease
- alcohol abuse
- malabsorption
- kidney dialysis
- certain anemias
- pregnancy & lactation
Some medications that interfere with folate utilization are:
- metformin
- barbiturates
- triamterene ~ diuretic
- anti-convulsant medications ~ dilantin, phenytoin & primidone
- sulfasalazine ~ Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis inflammation
- methotrexate ~cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, asthma, sarcoidosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and inflammatory bowel disease
Prior to supplementing folate while taking any of these medications, you should discuss this course of action with your doctor first.
Some subtle symptoms of a folic acid deficiency consist of:
- irritability
- weakness
- headaches
- weight loss
- sore tongue
- forgetfulness
- loss of appetite
- heart palpitations
- behavioral disorders
- particular type of anemia
- digestive disorders ~ diarrhea
- slow overall growth rate in infants/children
- elevated homocysteine ~ risk factor for cardiovascular disease
Because these subtle symptoms could also be a sign of other medical conditions, it is important to have a medical evaluation done to determine their cause.
There is some evidence that low blood levels of folate is associated with a greater risk of cancer. Research is continuing and the benefits of taking vitamin B9 supplements to reduce your risk of cancer is inconclusive.
Upper limit of supplemental intake of folic acid is 1,000 micrograms per day to prevent potential side effects of vitamin B12 deficiency. And older adults are at a greater risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Folic acid, folate or vitamin B9 intake from food is not associated with any health risk. And toxicity side effects is low because any excess of this water soluble vitamin is usually excreted in your urine.
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