Vitamin B9 (folic acid)

Vitamin B9 (folic acid)

• Folic acid and folate (the anion form) are forms of the soluble vitamin.

• These occur naturally in food and can also be taken as supplements.

• Folate gets its name from the Latin word folium (“leaf”)

• Folic acid has molecular formula C19H12N7O6 and have molar mass 441,403 g/mol

History

• Lucy Wills in 1931 led to the identification of folate as the nutrient needed to prevent anemia during pregnanacy.

• Dr. Wills demonstrated that anemia could be reserved with brewer’s yeast.

• Folate was identified as the corrective substance in brewer’s yeast in the late 1930s and was extracted from spinach leaves 1941. It was synthesized in 1946 by Yellapagrada Subbarao

Functions of Folate Acid

• Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells.

• Folate is needed to replicate DNA.

• Both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood and prevent anemia.

• Folate is veru important for all women during pregnanacy.

• Folate appears to reduce the risk of stroke

Health Risk Of Too Much Folic Acid

• The risk of toxicity from folic acid is low. The institute of medicine has established a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for folate of 1 mg for adult men and women.

• Supplemental folic acid should not exceed the UL to prevent folic acid from masking symptoms of vitamin B 12 deficiency.

• research suggest high levels of folic acid can interfere with some antimalaria treatments.

Some Current Issues And Controversies About Folate

Adequate concertations of folate, vitamin B12, or vitamin B6 may decrease the circulating level of homocysteine, an amino acid normally found in blood. There is evidence that an elevated homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The evidence suggests that high levels of homocysteine may damage coronary arteries or make it easier for blood clotting cells called platelets to clump together and form a clot. However, there is currently no evidence available to suggest that lowering homocysteine with vitamins will reduce your risk of heart disease.

STROKE

• Folic acid appears to reduce the risk of stroke. The reviews indicated only that in some individuals the risk of stroke appears to be reduced, but a definite recommendation regarding supplementation beyond the current recommended daily allowance has not benn established for stroke prevention.

CANCER

• The association between folate and cancer appears to be complex. It has been suggested that folate may help cancer, as it is involved in the synthetis , repair, and functioning of DNA, our genetic map, and a deficiency of flate may result in damage to DNA that may lead ti cancer. Conversely, it has been suggested that excess folate may promote tumor initation. Although diets high in folate are

MEMORY AND MENTAL AGILITY

• In a 3-year trial on 818 people over the age of 50, short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency were all found to be better among people who took 800 micrograms of folic acid daily-twice the current RDA-than those who took placebo. The study was reported in The Lanced on 19 January 2007.

FERTILITY

• Folate is necessary for fertility in both men and women. In men it contributes to spermatogenesis. In women, on the other hand, it contributes to oocyte maturation, implantation, placentation, in addition to the general effects of folic acid and pregnancy. Therefore, it is necessary to receivesufficient amounts throgh the diet, in order to avoid subfertility.

FOLATE IN FOODS

• Leavy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas, fortified cereal products, sunflowers sedds and certain other fruits and vegetables are rich sources of folate. Some breakfast cereals ( ready-to-eat and others ) are fortified with 25% to 100% of the recommended dietary allowance ( RDA ) for folic acid. A table of selected food sources of folate and folic acid can be found at the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.