All About Folic Acid
Folic acid is one of the necessary vitamins and minerals that the human body must have in order to operate. Folic acid is a type of vitamin B that is water-soluble. It does occur in many types of food naturally, but you can also get some of your folic acid through supplements like vitamin B complexes
What Does Folic Acid Do?
What exactly does folic acid do for your body? It is possible to have a folate deficiency, so obviously folic acid is useful for treating that. It can also be used to treat a number of different complications that come from illnesses and other diseases. Anemia can be dealt with by increasing the amount of folic acid in your system. It can also help you absorb nutrients better. Some other issues that you may take a folic acid supplement for include liver disease, ulcerative colitis, and alcoholism. Those who are having kidney dialysis may also need more of this type of vitamin B.
Overall, folic acid can help lower the risk of stroke, heart disease, colon cancer, and birth defects. This acid also helps the body create more red blood cells.
What Food Has Folic Acid?
You can get folic acid from a number of different foods, including bananas, lemons, melons, asparagus, okra, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, kidney, beef liver, tomato juice, and orange juice. Also, the FDA decided in 1998 that folic acid was to be added to pasta, bread, flour, cold cereal, crackers, cookies, and other bakery items to help guarantee that people got the required amount of folic acid in their diet. It’s fairly rare for someone to have a major deficiency in folic acid because of this, although it is possible to be a little on the low side. That’s why some people do take supplements.
Pregnancy and Folic Acid
Women who are pregnant will also want to take a good amount of folic acid because it can help prevent a number of different birth defects and even miscarriage. For example, folic acid is necessary for preventing spina bifida and a number of other neural tube defects.
Other Uses
Folic acid may be useful for combating Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, and other age-related issues. It may even be applied to your gums to help deal with gum infections.
As a B Vitamin
These vitamins come from a number of different types of foods, including potatoes, whole grains, chili peppers, beans, bananas, lentils, and molasses. Most people eat enough of these foods to get all or at least most of the Vitamin B that their body needs. However, there are some diets that are deficient in Vitamin B, and not everyone gets their daily recommended amount of these vitamins. Most people don’t get enough B6, B12, or folic acid/B9. These vitamins come from animal protein, whole grains, and dark green vegetables. Some people just don’t eat enough of these types of foods. That’s why several of the B vitamins are included in most multivitamins. Supplements are also available.
You may also want to start taking an acai berry supplement. Research has shown that a supplement such as the acai berry may be able to provide you with a number of benefits.
You can buy the best organic acai berry products here.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any diseases.