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Folic Acid: Vitamins
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Folic acid is a member of the vitamin B group and is the substrate for the production of tetrahydrofolate by enzymatic reduction in vivo. Tetrahydrofolate is a coenzyme for various metabolic pathways including purine and pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis, and ultimately DNA synthesis. It is ... involved in some amino acid conversions, and in the formation and utilisation of formate. It is involved in the maturation of all rapidly proliferating tissues particularly those of bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract. Folic acid deficiency develops from inadequate dietary intake through malnutrition or malabsorption, or may result from increased utilisation in pregnancy or conditions such as haemolytic anaemia. Folate deficiency is also an adverse side effect of chemotherapeutic agents that function as folate antagonists by interfering with folate metabolism.
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Folic acid is not stable. It is easily destroyed by exposure to light, air, water, and cooking. Therefore, the supplement should be stored in a dark container in a cold, dry place, such as a refrigerator. Many medications interfere with the body's absorption and use of folic acid. This includes sulfa drugs, sleeping pills, estrogen, anticonvulsants, birth control pills, antacids, quinine, and some antibiotics. Using large amounts of folic acid (e.g., over 5,000 mcg per day) can mask a vitamin B 12 deficiency and thereby risk of irreversible nerve damage.
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Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. When a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.
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Folic acid is a member of the B-vitamin family. It occurs naturally in foods as folates, and is available in synthetic form in vitamin pills. Foods that contain folates include orange juice, green leafy vegetables, and beans. Fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grain products, and vitamins contain a synthetic form of folic acid. The synthetic form is more easily absorbed by your body than the natural form.
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Folic acid is a B vitamin. It is involved in very important cellular reactions. A frank deficiency of folic acid can cause macrocytic anemia. Inadequate intake is related to birth defects, premature births, cervical dysplasia, and many different cancers including cervical and breast. Inadequate folic acid ... causes the buildup of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine are related to heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis and memory loss and depression in older adults.
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Folic acid, a water-soluble vitamin, has been used since the 1940s to treat some cases of macrocytic anemia without neurologic disease. Folate deficiency is best diagnosed with red blood cell folate levels along with macrocytosis and/or megaloblastic anemia. In addition to reversing overt deficiency, the vitamin may reduce the incidence of neural tube defects by 45% in women who receive 400 microg per day. It is recommended that all women of childbearing age take 400 microg of folate per day. Elevations in homocysteine levels, a metabolite intimately associated with folate, are ... being found with increasing regularity in those with cardiovascular diseases. Homocysteine levels are reduced by folic acid administration.
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