Folic Acid By Hetu (MSc. Medical Biochemistry)

Folic Acid

(Also called: Folacin, Folate, Pteroylglutamic acid, Vitamin B9)

Folic acid is a vitamin B. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. Getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Formula: -

                                               

Sources: -

Foods with folic acid in them include:

• Leafy green vegetables
• eggs
• Fruits & juices
• Seafood
• Liver
• Sunflower seeds
• Fortified foods and supplements
• Dried beans,
• Peas, and nuts
• Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products

If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

Recommended Amounts: -

RDA: The Recommended Dietary Allowance for folate is listed as micrograms (mcg) of dietary folate equivalents (DFE). Men and women ages 19 years and older should aim for 400 mcg DFE. Pregnant and lactating women require 600 mcg DFE and 500 mcg DFE, respectively. People who regularly drink alcohol should aim for at least 600 mcg DFE of folate daily since alcohol can impair its absorption.

UL: A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the maximum daily dose unlikely to cause adverse side effects in the general population. The UL for adults for folic acid from fortified food or supplements (not including folate from food) is set at 1,000 mcg a day

Diagnosis And Tests: -

• Homocysteine Test
• Vitamin B Test

Genetics: -

• Cerebral folate transport deficiency
• Hereditary folate malabsorption

Patient Hangouts: -

• Folate deficiency
• Folate-deficiency anemia
• Folic acid

Signs of Deficiency and Toxicity:-

Deficiency 

• Alcoholism. Alcohol interferes with the absorption of folate and speeds the rate that folate breaks down and is excreted from the body. People with alcoholism also tend to eat poor-quality diets low in folate-containing foods.
• Pregnancy. The need for folate increases during pregnancy as it plays a role in the development of cells in the fetus.
• Intestinal surgeries or digestive disorders that cause malabsorption. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease can decrease the absorption of folate. Surgeries involving the digestive organs or that reduce the normal level of stomach acid may also interfere with absorption.
• Genetic variants. People carrying a variant of the gene MTHFR cannot convert folate to its active form to be used by the body.

Toxicity

Folate deficiency is rare because it is found in a wide range of foods. However, the following conditions may put people at increased risk:

Signs of deficiency can include: megaloblastic anemia (a condition arising from a lack of folate in the diet or poor absorption that produces less red blood cells, and larger in size than normal); weakness, fatigue; irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; difficulty concentrating; hair loss; pale skin; mouth sores.

It is extremely rare to reach a toxic level when eating folate from food sources.

However, an upper limit for folic acid is set at 1,000 mcg daily because studies have shown that taking higher amounts can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.