Folic Acid

Folic acid is a B vitamin that can help your body make and keep new cells and protect your body against cancers. The vitamin folic acid has been found to prevent the anemia that often occurred during pregnancy. Folic acid is necessary to make red blood cells. It also aids in the production of DNA and RNA, which are used to make new cells. Because pregnant and lactating women produce a lot of new cells, they have a greater need for folic acid. If they don’t get enough folic acid, they can develop anemia. Women deficient in folic acid who become pregnant are also more likely to give birth to premature infants or to infants with low birthweight or neural tube defects.

Benefits Of Folic Acid

Folic acid is known as a guardian of the body’s cells, because it helps protect them from DNA damage that could turn them cancerous. You have a greater need for folic acid if you have difficulty absorbing the vitamin, if you abuse alcohol, have liver disease, are on kidney dialysis, or have certain types of anemia. There are no great symptoms to tell you that you’re running low on folic acid. You might lack a healthy appetite, lose weight, become irritable, or suffer from diarrhea. You might develop anemia, headaches, and heart palpitations, generalized weakness, and a sore tongue, but these vague symptoms can be caused by a number of other problems, too.

Folic Acid Facts

There is more and more evidence that suggests that folic acid may do more than just help create and protect body cells. Folic acid might help prevent heart attack and stroke. Elevated levels of an amino acid called homocysteine may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by damaging the coronary arteries and encouraging blood clots. A lack of folic acid can push homocysteine levels up, so some experts believe that taking folic acid can guard against heart attacks and strokes.

There is also more evidence that folic acid might prevent cancer. A number of studies that look at large population groups have found that low levels of folic acid in the diet are associated with an increased risk of cancer of the breast, colon, and pancreas. Before you change your intake of folic acid, you should of course meet with your doctor and discuss with him or her what your particular needs are for folic acid.