FOLIC ACID: WHAT IT IS FOR, FOODS AND ADVANTAGES - NUTRITION

The folic acid is a vitamin belonging to type B complex that is necessary for creating proteins and hemoglobin. Specifically, it is recognized by experts under the name of vitamin B9. It is also characterized by being water soluble, which means that it dissolves in different types of liquids.

It is an artificial form from folate, which is found in supplements and is also added to fortified foods. It maintains a close relationship with vitamin B12 and a large part of its group, with which it works together, as well as with C.

The amounts of folic acid that are left in our body are expelled through the urine due to the excess that usually accumulates, so it is important to control the amounts we eat to supply our body in the best way.

As a curiosity, it should be noted that its insufficiency in humans is very unusual.

History of folic acid

The first important studies on this vitamin took place in the first half of the 20th century, when it was discovered that it was established within the composition of brewer's yeast in 1930.

Folic acid became even more important a year later, in 1931, when scientist Lucy Wills concluded that folate functioned as a nutrient that helped prevent anemia during pregnancy.

During the following decade the investigations did not stop and at the beginning of the 1940s it was also possible to extract from another food such as spinach so that in 1946 it was synthesized for the first time in history by the Indian Yellapragada Subbarao.

What is folic acid for?

The main functions of vitamin B9 is to help in different organic activities such as facilitating the work of blood cells (red blood cells), forming them and helping the growth of tissues. In the same way, it also acts as a coenzyme in the process of transferring monocarbon groups.

Participates within the functions of DNA, RNA and protein metabolism, intervening in the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines.

It also works as a powerful defender against different anomalies and problems, especially those that occur during pregnancy such as spina bifida.

A curious fact is that exceeding its intake causes our appetite to increase considerably in the long run, which also stimulates the formation of digestive acids.

Foods in which it is found and amounts

- Green vegetables: Here the variety is served, being the main source of obtaining, among which we find from spinach and endive to peas or dried beans.

- Meats: It is observed in such as beef, pork or goat among many others.

- Fortified cereals: Nuts and sunflower seeds are great sources of the vitamin belonging to group B.

- Legumes: Among the legumes that provide folacin we can find foods such as chickpea or lentils.

The daily doses of vitamin B9 recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the United States Department of Agriculture vary according to the age at which one belongs:

- From 1 to 3 years, the ideal is 150 a day

- From 4 to 8 years, the intake should be increased by 50 more until reaching 200

- From 9 to 13 would be 300

- From the age of 14 onwards, up to 400 micrograms should be consumed

- The exception is marked by women who are in periods of pregnancy, where they should consume up to a total of 500 and 600 respectively.

In addition, if you take a look below you can see a list that we have provided with the type of food, the amount and the folic acid that they concentrate in its composition:

Cereals (cooked), corn flakes: 1 cup / 222 mg
Beef liver, cooked: 85 gr. / 185 mg
Spinach, cooked, boiled, without salt: 1 cup (180 gr.) / 263 mg
Fava beans, white, canned: 1 cup / 170 mg
Asparagus, boiled: 8 (120 gr.) / 160 mg
Rice, white, common long grain, cooked: 1 cup (190 gr.) / 153 mg
Spinach, raw: 1 cup (30 gr.) / 60 mg
Romaine lettuce: 1 cup / 75 mg
Lentils, boiled, without salt: 1 cup (200 gr.) / 358 mg
Brussels sprouts or sprouts, cooked: 1 cup (150 gr.) / 94 mg
Avocado, sliced: 1/2 cup / 45 mg
Soybean, green, boiled: 1 cup (180 gr.) / 200 mg
Banana: 1 (120 gr.) / 24 mg
Oranges: 1 (40 gr.) / 39 mg
Melon, cantaloupe, honey dew: 1 cup (160 gr.) / 35 mg

Benefits of folic acid

Prevents the possibility of contracting spina bifida disease. Currently it is a piece of advice given to pregnant women by a multitude of specialized doctors, since taking folic acid supplements reduce the appearance by a high percentage.
Ingesting folic acid just before pregnancy and during the first trimester of this markedly decreases the percentage of being able to suffer an abortion, as well as other types of diseases related to the gestation period (anancephaly or different malformations).
It also helps prevent anemia.
It is a powerful protector that helps prevent various types of cancer.
It works by reducing the appearance of cardiovascular diseases.
It creates large amounts of healthy and large red blood cells, which leads to the purification of our body, eliminating carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

Consequences of folic acid deficiency in the body

Megaloblastic anemia occurs, in which immature red blood cells are larger than organically established.
Over time, the graying of the hair accelerates, causing it to age more quickly and prematurely than normal.
Mouth ulcers, inflammation and sores on the tongue.
In addition to the buccal, a peptic is produced, which is created in the skin that tends to not scar.
Mainly, pregnancy-related problems occur, which we will talk about below in a detailed way.
Another effect is swelling of the tongue (glossitis).
There is a latent risk of toxicity from ingesting excessively and of course by not doing it properly. The result could lead to numbness, tingling, difficulty concentrating or feeling tired.
Various side effects such as nausea and loss of appetite, bloating, and gas. This is followed by unpleasant tastes in the mouth as well as serious insomnia problems.

Finally, on some occasions we can fall into depression or feel irritated or excited at times.

Folic acid in pregnancy and cancer

Pregnancy

Different studies have confirmed that women who ingest 0.4 milligrams per day of folic acid during the first months of pregnancy and in the moments before giving birth decrease by 70% the chances that the child will be born with different related congenital problems with the brain and with the spinal cord.

The alterations are usually generated during the first month of pregnancy. It is advisable that women who are of childbearing age regularly ingest vitamin B9.

Next we are going to show you a series of problems related to pregnancy that can occur if we do not have the adequate amount of folic acid in the body. Among the most common related to the neural tube we find three types:

The one linked to spina bifida, where it performs an incomplete fusion of the spinal cord together with the spinal column.
Problems related to brain development. Here we must name anancephaly, a defect that develops in the fusion of the neural tubes during embryo during the neurulation process
At this point we refer to different malformations in which an abnormal opening of the skull stands out.

Cancer

The role of folic acid in cancer has been studied for years. We are talking about a relationship that has lasted for years in science and that still has many more years to go.

As mentioned above, folate helps prevent different types of cancer. This is due to the fact that the vitamin intervenes directly on DNA, in its synthesis, operation, and of course repair. Therefore, an incorrect diet, either due to excess or lack of vitamin B9 can lead to the contraction of the disease.

Diets with high doses of folic acid have been shown to be linked to colon cancer and its chances of developing. In addition, the effect is multiplied when used in natural foods and not in supplements. This was proven in 2007 when a clinical trial concluded that supplements did not reduce the risk of collecting colectoral adenomas.

Another study carried out in tests that studied the relationship between cancer and folic acid resulted in results that said that in addition to colon cancer, the vitamin also affected breast and pancreatic cancer, being contrary to the previous disease, it affected toxic when ingested in a common way.

Therefore, it would not be beneficial to consume excess vitamin B9 if you want to avoid the creation of cancer cells related to the breast and pancreas.

Antifolate methotrexate

Now, there is a term of great importance within the world of this vitamin. We are referring to the antifolate methotrexate, which is a drug that is often used to treat cancer. But, as indicated in the different studies, methotrexate becomes toxic on many occasions, producing various side effects such as inflammation of the digestive tract, making it difficult to eat regularly.

But how does all this relate to folic acid? Folic acid comes into play when it comes to coping with and reversing the effect that antifolate produces when it becomes toxic.

Methotrexate can be used to combat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, asthma, sarcoidosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and various inflammatory diseases. All this always ingesting it when necessary and in minimal quantities.

It is for all this reason that carrying out diets rich in folic acid will reduce the negative effects produced by methotrexate and prevent the toxicity levels in our body from increasing.

recommendations

- It is advisable to eat foods that contain high doses of folic acid raw. If you cannot carry out this practice, if you do not want to lose its properties, it should be cooked briefly in steam and stored later in the refrigerator.

- It would be ideal to accompany the intake of vitamin B9 with other variants such as B1, B2 and B3 since this makes it easier to carry out the process of natural metabolism of folic acid. It is above all about making complete and varied combinations.

- In the same way that it is combined with vitamins belonging to group B, it is also convenient to add vitamin C, which allows folic acid to be activated more quickly and work more optimally.

- Avoid consuming folic acid in the form of supplements, since as we have mentioned, that reduces the original natural amounts that any food would contain by large percentages.

- In addition to the foods mentioned in the upper area, dried tomatoes and freshly squeezed orange juice are great sources of folic acid.

References

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219853.php
http://www.drugs.com/folic_acid.html
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/folicacid.html
http://www.zonadiet.com/nutricion/folico.htm
http://kidshealth.org/es/parents/folic-acid-esp.html
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81cido_f%C3%B3lico
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/ency/article/002408.htm
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/ency/article/001580.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spanish/folicacid/recommendations.html
http://www.fpa.org.uk/planning-pregnancy/folic-acid

FOLIC ACID: WHAT IT IS FOR, FOODS AND ADVANTAGES - NUTRITION - 2024