Discovering Vitamin B9 Folic Acid
Pregnant women are often advised by their doctor
to take folic acid, which is usually included in her prenatal
vitamins, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. But
how important is folic acid to a pregnant woman? Do other people
also need to take in vitamin B9 folic acid in their body?
Vitamin B9 is considered to be part of the
B-vitamins which are important vitamins in the body. Animals lack
the ability to synthesize vitamin B9 so therefore it should always
be included in the diet. The folic acid intake by pregnant women
is actually for the developing child. The folic acid decreases the
incidence of having neural tube defects in the fetus. An example
of a neural tube defect is spina bifida. Anemia is also prevented
by vitamin B9 not only in the pregnant woman but in every human
being.
Although Vitamin B9, also known as folate, is
not synthesized by the body, it is found to be abundant in several
foods such as leafy vegetables including spinach, lettuce and
turnip greens. Peas, sunflower seeds, and beans are also found to
be rich in vitamin B9. Most cereals are also found to be fortified
with folate, to help kids reach their daily recommended allowance
for it.
Vitamin B9 folic acid also plays a role in the
synthesis of DNA, in the form of methylenetetrahydrofolate. When
levels of folic acid are low, then those areas where cell division
and growth occur are also affected. This is mainly the bone
marrow. Megaloblast formation will occur in this area because of
the increased activity of RNA and protein synthesis and decreased
activity of DNA. Megaloblasts are giant blood cells that occur in
the bone marrow as a response to the low levels of folic acid.
How can the body’s levels of vitamin B9 folic
acid go down? Usually, it is the lack of nutritious food that can
cause these levels to drop. Sometimes, the body removes or
excretes vitamin B9 faster than its usual rate. An increased
exposure of the body to the UV rays of the sun, both natural or
from a tanning salon can lead to a deficiency of vitamin B9. When
the body needs more vitamin B9 than usual, its levels also drop to
signify a deficiency. These instances include pregnancy and
breastfeeding wherein this deficiency should be corrected at once,
tobacco smoking, liver disease, anemia, and alcoholism. Other
medications may also develop low levels of folic acid in the body.
Examples of these medications are medications for convulsions, a
diuretic called triamterene, cancer drugs like methotrexate,
anti-inflammatory named sulfasalazine, and even metformin, a
medication used for type 2 diabetes.
However, having too much vitamin B9 may also
hinder the absorption of vitamin B12 and worsen the effects of
vitamin B12 deficiency. Malarial treatments are also affected by
this increase. Vitamin B9 however has a low toxicity risk wherein
about 1mg of folic acid can still be accepted by the adult body.
Therefore, it is up to the person to balance out the levels of
vitamin B9 in the body as needed.
|
