Folic acid, commonly known as vitamin B9 or folate,is a vitamin found in animal tissues and plants. It is a vitamin of vital importance to people, since it influences, for example, the incorporation of iron of anemia,or, in the case of babies, helps prevent them from being born with congenital disabilities, hence their importance during pregnancy.
This vitamin helps the body in the maintenance and creation of new cells. This function is essential in periods of rapid cell growth and division, especially in childhood or pregnancy. Therefore, a large number of pregnant women ingest folic acid to prevent possible spinal and brain birth defects of the baby.
Folic acid also plays an important role in DNA replication and DNA deficiency can make cell synthesis and division difficult by impacting the bone marrow, i.e. where the blood cells involved in the development of the nervous system are formed.
Low folic acid symptoms
Along with
vitamin B12,
folic acid is vital for the production of red blood cells, preventing diseases such as anemia. A folic acid deficiency can cause the following symptoms:
- Hair graying.
- Delayed growth.
- Irritability.
- Behavioral disorders.
- Tachycardia
- Diarrhea.
- Mouth ulcers.
- Peptid ulcer.
- Glositis (inflammation of the tongue).
- Headache.
Folic acid functions
The best way to obtain folic acid is through a
good diet,
which contains enough nutrients for the proper functioning of our body. In this way, foods with more folic acid are as follows:
- Blue fish.
- Milk and eggs.
- Fruits such as melon, bananas or citrus.
- Legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, etc.
- Green leafy vegetables: spinach, escarole, grelos, cabbages and other types of lettuces.
- Some nuts.
- Whole grains
- Although meat does not contain much folic acid, this vitamin can be found in the liver of some animals, such as veal.
Important role in pregnant women and other diseases
To check for folate deficiency anemia, your doctor will ask about your symptoms. You will also perform a blood test and a complete blood count (CBC) test to measure the number and appearance of your red blood cells.
In addition, this vitamin plays a vital papen in pregnant women. According to experts, they believe that ingesting folic acid before and after childbirth helps prevent and protect the baby from congenital diseases.
In other diseases, such as cancer,folate is considered to prevent them. According to the latest research, taking this vitamin could help prevent cancer due to the relationship of folate in the synthesis, repair and functioning of DNA and RNA.