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Vitamin B9 |
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Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Vitamin B-9, otherwise known as folic acid, serves as a coenzyme during the creation of DNA. This vitamin is also very important to the growth and reproduction of all body cells, including red blood cells. Great food sources of vitamin B-9 include liver and dark green leafy vegetables.
How This Vitamin Works in Your Body:
The Following People May Benefit from the Consumption of
This Vitamin:
Where This Vitamin is Found:
How to Use: Tablets: Available as tablet. Swallow whole with a full glass of liquid without chewing or crushing. Take with or 1 to 1-1/2 hours after meals unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
Recommended Daily Intakes
Cautions:
Over 55:
Pregnancy:
Breastfeeding:
Storage:
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Overdose:
Side Effects:
Interactions:
Folic Acid Fortification Making A Dent The policy of adding folic acid to grain foods -- including cereals, breads, pasta and flour -- instituted just 3 years ago by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be a success. Blood samples taken after folic acid supplementation show a 38% higher level of folate than samples taken before folic acid fortification; 96% of the people who had blood drawn after supplementation had acceptable folate levels. Among the people who had blood drawn before fortification, 87% had acceptable folate levels. The government decided to mandate folic acid fortification as part of an effort to reduce the number of children born with neural tube defects, a type of birth defect that affects the brain and spinal cord and includes spina bifida. Results of earlier studies demonstrated that folic acid supplementation before pregnancy and during the first weeks of pregnancy could reduce the risk of these defects. The neural tubes close at about week 3 or 4 of pregnancy, so many women don't even know they are pregnant at that early stage. Initially, the government campaigned to simply have women of childbearing age routinely take folic acid supplements but compliance was very low. That's when the FDA decided to order mandatory fortification, she said. Annual Meeting Of The Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology In Orlando, FL April 1, 2001
Folic Acid Good For Arteriosclerosis Prevention Folic acid may lower the risk of heart disease by preventing damage to the inner lining of arteries. The study found that heart disease patients who took 5 milligrams (mg) of folic acid daily for 12 weeks had slightly better functioning of their arterial inner lining, or endothelium, than those who took an inactive placebo, and a greater ability of their arteries to widen appropriately. According to the researchers, folic acid may work by lowering homocysteine, a substance in the blood that has been linked to heart disease. Too much homocysteine, which is formed naturally when protein is broken down, may cause oxidative damage to the endothelium, the study concludes. Oxidative damage is caused by free radicals -- byproducts of the body's normal processes that can damage body tissues. In 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration implemented a policy of adding folic acid to grain foods -- including cereals, breads, pasta and flour. Journal of the American College of Cardiology June 1, 2001;37:1858-1863
Folic Acid for Heart Health Supplements containing the B vitamin folic acid may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and blood clots associated with high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. While homocysteine is a normal byproduct of metabolism of the amino acid methionine, high levels of it in the blood can be dangerous. Studies have shown that with each unit increase of homocysteine, the risk of ischemic heart disease, which reduces blood flow to the heart, increased by 32 to 42 percent. Risks for stroke and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), blood clots in deep veins that can be life threatening, showed similar increases. Folic acid helps to break down homocysteine, and it is thought that homocysteine levels can be lowered with daily folic acid supplements, thereby reducing the risks of heart disease, stroke and DVT. However, the review notes that because few studies have shown that folic acid prevents these conditions, the American Heart Association does not recommend taking the vitamin specifically for this purpose. British Medical Journal 2002;325:1202-1206 Full Text Article
Folic Acid Also Helpful for Down's Syndrome Prevention Women who are pregnant may be able to reduce their newborn’s risk of Down’s syndrome by taking folic acid before pregnancy, according to researchers. Folic acid, found in supplements and foods such as broccoli, protects against neural-tube defects, and researchers have found that families with a high-risk of such defects may also be at an increased risk of Down’s syndrome, or vice versa. There may be a link between the two conditions, so researchers suggest a dose of five mg of folic acid could reduce the risk of Down's syndrome as well the risk of neural-tube defects (NTD) in newborns. NTDs, which are the abnormal development of the neural tube, which becomes the brain or spinal cord, in early pregnancy, can cause serious mental and physical impairment. Spina bifida and anencephaly, the partial or complete absence of the brain, are the most severe NTDs. Mothers of babies with NTDs have been found to have problems metabolizing folic acid, which may also be a risk factor for trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality that causes Down’s syndrome. In a study of 493 families who had had a previous pregnancy which was affected by NTD and 516 families who had had a pregnancy affected by Down's syndrome, there were five times the number of Down’s syndrome affected pregnancies among the NTD group as expected from women of the same age. Further, there was an increase in NTD cases in the families at a higher risk of Down's syndrome. Researchers recommend that women take extra folic acid before conception and in the first two months of pregnancy, saying that folate supplementation during this time has the potential to reduce the risk of Down's syndrome. Lancet April 19, 2003;361:1331-35
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