Folic acid is said to be on the top of the Food Pyramid. It is very important right from the day of conception. Folic acid has been a good boon for health in all the ancient medicinal systems. It is a type of B vitamin which is soluble in water. Folic acid is found in fresh vegetables and fruits. Today, folic acid is available in the man-made synthetic form of folate supplements. It is added to foods to fortify their nutritious value.
How to get folic acid?
Folate or folic acid is naturally in most of the dark green vegetables such as
broccoli and citrus fruits. Dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, peas, dried beans and citrus fruits are rich mines of folic acid. Foods such as breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice, and other grain products are fortified with the folic acid or folate supplements.Importance of folic acid
Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9 which belongs to the family of other eight water-soluble B-complex vitamins. According to WebMD, folic acid is needed for the proper functioning and development of the human body. Like all other B-complex vitamins it is involved in numerous bodily functions such as the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins into glucose which the body burns for energy. Its role in producing the genetic material called DNA is very vital. Folate helps the growth of tissues and most of the functions of the cells.
Folic acid is very essential for brain development and nervous system
The role of folic acid in memory and nervous system is commendable. A research study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reveals that long-term supplementation of daily folic acid and vitamin
B12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning. Deficiencies of folic acid have been implicated in chronic depression and other mental disorders, as well as in birth defects that affect the neural tube.Inevitable nutrient during pregnancy
Infertility Focus.com insists the inevitability of folate supplements or food containing folic acid. It is vital for all women before and during pregnancy. They have to take a daily supplement of folic acid before trying to get pregnant, as well as during the first trimester of pregnancy. Pregnancy, fortified with folic acid, before and during pregnancy helps prevent certain birth defects, including spina bifida. It also helps prevent anemia which affects pregnant women.
The body uses only the needed quantity of folic acid
You will be interested to know that your body does not retain the excess quantity of folic acid in your body as fat and salt. Medicine Plus says that since folic acid is water soluble, like all other water soluble vitamins the leftover amount of folic acid also leaves the body through the urine. Hence you need a continuous supply of this vitamin through folate supplements or foods containing folic acid.
