Folic Acid - Why Taking It Is So Important?

A lot of people suggest taking folic acid supplements to expecting mothers for a healthy pregnancy. But why? Why is folic acid that important? What is so ideal about folic acid supplements? Yeah, a lot of questions are bound to pop up. This article will explain the entire deal about this particular acid and why it is that important.

Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B called Folate and it plays an essential role in the production of red blood cells, the formation of the neural tube of the baby, development of the spinal cord. Here is a list of benefits of Folic acid

1. Folic acid, as discussed, helps in preventing neural tube defects.
2. Serious birth defects like Spina bifida and anencephaly can be prevented if you take folic acid regularly.
3. Other defects like cleft palate or cleft lip have also seen to be prevented when mothers have taken proper doses of folic acid.
4. Certain types of heart defects can also be avoided.
5. A serious blood pressure disorder called preeclampsia affects a lot of pregnant women but folic acid intake can help in the prevention of such a condition.
6. Folic acid helps in prevention of anaemia
7. The production, function and repair of a normal DNA also require intake of folic acid.
8. Folic acid also enables rapid cell growth, therefore, rapid growth of the developing baby.

Now, these neural defects can occur at a very young stage, even before the proper development of the foetus. Hence, it is suggested that to be mothers start taking folic acid right from the beginning. Experts usually recommend about 400 micrograms of folic acid every day in the beginning, when one is trying to get pregnant. However, even during pregnancy crossing the level of 1000 micrograms per day is to be avoided.

Where can you get folic acid from?
Fortified cereals are usually the best food sources of folic acid. Natural folic acid can also be found in naturally dark green vegetables and in various kinds of citrus fruits. Folic acid supplements are also available. Other food sources of folic acid include-

1. Beef liver
2. Mature lentil seeds
3. Spinach
4. Egg noodles
5. Great northern beans
6. Bread
7. Pasta
8. Avocado

There are certain situations in which one might require extra folic acid, the reasons might be

1. If the mother is overweight.
2. If the mother has been pregnant previously
3. If the mother is carrying twins.
4. Women with a genetic variation of MTHFR in which the body has difficulty in processing folic acid. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.