Folic Acid is a term used to refer to vitamin B. It is a vital vitamin in the human body used in making new cells. Folic acid ensures proper DNA replication in new cell formation. In pregnant women, it helps in the formation and stabilization of the spine and brain of the baby hence preventing major birth defects. A wide variety of disorders like heart attack, cervical cancer, neural tube defects, and stroke have been associated with folic acid deficiency.
The main role of folic acid, in various biosynthetic processes, is to donate a carbon unit when it combines with dihydrofolic acid (DHF), and tetrahdrofolic acid (THF) during the synthesis of thymine and adenine, two of the four main nuclei acids that make ups the human gene. Folic acid is also required in the metabolism of methionine, an essential amino acid found in animal protein.
Folic acid occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, fruits such as citrus, and dried peas and beans. In the United Kingdom, the main source of folic acid cereals, rice, cornmeal, bread and other grain products enriched with folic acids. Kellogg’s and quarter oats are some of the brand name-producing fortified breakfast cereal and grains. Women anticipating pregnancy in the UK use folic acid supplements in form of tablets.
In the United States and the United Kingdom, consumption of leafy green vegetables, fruits, and animal products like liver, which are rich in folic acid, have been replaced by fast food that lacks a significant proportion of folic acid, leading to folic acid problems. In other cases, the folic acid found in the vegetable is destroyed during the cooking process. Over 80 percent of the United States suffers from folic acid deficiency. In developing countries, the lack of enough proper diet and knowledge on the importance of folic acid is the major cause of folic-related problems. Folate deficiency usually occurs when an increased need for folic acid is not matched by an increase in folic acid intake.
Would be pregnant women should take adequate folic acid supplements needed during the process of embryogenesis. Folic acid in this case prevents major birth malformation of the baby’s spines and brain. People who abuse alcohol have low levels of folate in their system as they do not take proper diets and alcohol interferes with the absorption of folates in the system. As such, these individuals needs folic acid supplement for good health. Some medications reduce the ability of the body to absorb folate. An individual under anti-Convulsant medications like Dilantin needs adequate folic acid supplements. Those diagnosed with anemia as a result of folate deficiency may also benefit greatly from folic acid supplements. Kidney dialysis and liver diseases increase the excretion of folic acid, as such it is of great importance that patients suffering from these diseases take a folic acid supplement to maintain the level needed in the body.
Folic Acid occurs naturally in leafy food, fruits, and animal products, but due to varying lifestyles, many people do not benefit from these natural sources. This has created the need for folic acid enrichment in assorted food like cereal and grains. Folic acid supplements are widely used by would-be pregnant women to supply folic acids in the body which is important in the process of embryogenesis.