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“Folic Acid (Folate) facts”
Interesting facts about folic acid (folate):
Folic acid (folate) is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that it is easily absorbed in the body (as most of the body is made of water and so are most of the foods eaten), but some of it may be lost in cooking.
Folic acid (folate) is a B-vitamin co-factor, which means it is not quite a vitamin, but works with all of the B-vitamins to help them perform their activities more effectively.
Folic acid (folate) is very vital to ensuring healthy DNA in cells by helping to produce the genetic material for creating the DNA and RNA proteins for the cells. Folic acid (folate) acts as a coenzyme for proper DNA and RNA synthesis. Folic acid (folate) does this in conjunction with vitamin B12 (cobalamin).
Folic acid (folate) is very vital to ensuring healthy DNA in cells and so it also is needed to enable healthy cell division, cell growth and cell maintenance in every single cell in the whole body. The role of folic acid (folate) in cell division is so important that research indicates that a deficiency of folic acid (folate) may be partly responsible for the development of pre-cancerous changes to the cervix (cervical dysplasia). Studies also show that women who take the oral contraceptive pill may develop a folic acid (folate) deficiency, especially in the cervix, which could make these women more susceptible to the development of pre-cancerous changes in the cervix from certain carcinogens or chemicals.
Folic acid (folate) is especially needed during pregnancy, when cell replication takes place in the growing foetus at a high rate. Folic acid (folate) is known to prevent neural tube defects (NTD) in the unborn child, as long as the mother's diet is rich in this nutrient prior to getting pregnant and during the pregnancy. This important discovery has led to doctors urging women of child-bearing age to increase consumption of foods rich in folic acid (folate) or to consider supplementation. Several countries have fortified many of their common foods with folic acid (folate) to ensure that women of child-bearing age do get enough of this important nutrient even without supplementation.
Many studies have shown that low levels of folic acid (folate) are linked with a number of birth defects. Folic acid (folate) is especially required during pregnancy for the rapid level of cell replication in the growing foetus. In one study of women who bore a child with a harelip (one or more split in the lips) were either given folic acid (folate) supplements or no supplement prior to and during the first trimester of pregnancy of their next pregnancy. The women who took the folic acid (folate) supplements had only incidence of giving birth to a child with a harelip, while the women who were not supplemented had 15 children born with harelip. This result is quite significant as it clearly shows a link between low folic acid (folate) levels and certain birth defects.
Folic acid (folate) prevents build-up of homocysteine, a substance which has well known implications in raising the risk of heart disease through its favourable effect on increasing the LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. Homocysteine also encourages the blood to become more "sticky" and clot more frequently, leading to stroke and heart attack when a major artery becomes clogged.
Folic acid (folate) is one of the nutrients required to ensure the red blood cells are healthy in structure and function. Some types of anaemia are caused by a deficiency in folic acid.
Folic acid (folate) is also required to form some of the amino acids once the proteins they come from are broken down. These amino acids are then used as the building blocks of the body, to be used in various important capacity (including the haemoglobin in red blood cells).
Folic acid (folate) is necessary to ensure the nervous system works properly, the nerves are functioning correctly and mental health is normalised and the risk of developing mental health disorders such as depression can be greatly reduced. Some studies have indicated that a deficiency in folic acid (folate) may produce various mental health conditions such as depression, dementia and schizophrenia. In addition to this, studies have shown that high supplementation levels of folic acid (folate) improve some types of congenital mental retardation.
Folic acid (folate) is required by the immune system to instruct the white blood cells to recognise the invading pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungii) and to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of all the different types of white blood cells to deal with the invading pathogens to prevention infection and disease.
Cooking vegetables that are rich in folic acid (folate) will cause a loss in some of the folic acid (folate) content. It is important to try to cook vegetables for a short duration to reduce loss of folic acid (folate).
Disclaimer: The advice on this site should be viewed as a general guideline only and it should not replace the advice of a medical professional. Always consult your medical or health care provider to get the advice and care for your particular and individual health, nutrition, diet and fitness circumstances.