Folic Acid-Folate

Vitamin b9 also called folic acid or folate is a water soluble vitamin belonging to the vitamin b family. Benefits of folic acids are most important in pregnancy and most often recommend for women to be taken at any and all times. Folic acid or folate is necessary for cell production and maintenance of new cells. During states of rapid cell production and growth such as pregnancy and afterward in infancy folic acid plays a very important role. For pregnant women it is not only important to take their supplements in form of prenatal vitamins but also to consume foods high in folic acid. Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women can actually lead to serious birth defects.

A folic acid facts include that both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood cells, which will prevent anemia. It is also suggested in some researches that folate might help prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer.

Another reason to have foods high in folate is that folate is needed to replicate DNA and a deficiency of folate can hinder synthesis and cell division (effecting bone marrow).

Natural sources of folic acid are foods that contain folic acid. The following foods are high folic acid foods. Fortified cereals, pinto beans, navy beans, green leafy vegetables, beef, brown rice, bran, cheese, lamb, liver, milk, mushrooms, oranges, split peas, pork, tuna and whole grains are foods with folic acid and therefore serve as good sources besides supplements of folic acid,

The risk of toxicity from folic acid is low.Dangers of too much folic acid include a masking a vitamin b12 deficiency. Anemia associated with vitamin b12 deficiency can be corrected by folate but the changes in the nervous system associated with this deficiency cannot be corrected by folate. If vitamin b12 deficiency is not discovered permanent nerve damage can theoretically occur.

A vitamin b12 and folic acid timed released supplement can be taken, which will increase the absorption of both vitamins over a range of time which will prevent also a vitamin b12 deficiency masked by folic acid.

A study taken place in the near past found that high folate levels when combined with low vitamin b12 levels is associated with cognitive impairment in older people. In the future if this fact gets more confirmed it might start a debate if folate fortified foods should be taken from the market and even if it is more important to safe an infants life by adding folate to foods than impairing an older person.