Knowing a few important facts about folic acid could help keep you from developing heart disease, depression and dementia and even keep your unborn baby from developing birth defects. Yes, there are many critical benefits of folic acid.
But if you really want to find out what is folic acid's role in a women's pregnancy and what are the appropriate levels to take to ensure the maximum benefit it is probably best to just consult a dietician, health specialist or your doctor. They can tell you if you need to take supplements or if you just need to change your diet in order to obtain the correct amount of folic acid.
A woman's preparation for pregnancy should include taking a folic acid supplement or multivitamins that provides 400 micrograms of folic acid per serving per day. This intake level will help protect her fetus against Neural tube defects (or NTDs). NTDs can be fatal. A baby born with the nonfatal form will grow up with serious disabilities and unlikely to lead a normal life.
Folic acid, according to recent studies has been associated with various health benefits as well as serving as protection against debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's disease some cancers and heart diseases. It is also thought to offer a certain degree of protection from strokes.
Since most foods besides liver are poor source of folic acid, you may have a deficiency unless you happen to eat quite a bit of liver and leafy greens. Signs of a deficiency include an inflamed tongue shortness of breath, loss of appetite, forgetfulness and mental sluggishness. These can also be signs of many other problems and it is best to seek the advice of a physician if you have any of these symptoms.
The implications of these findings will be covered in subsequent articles in this series, but this article will focus on the role of folates and folic acid in regulating blood homocysteine, excessively high levels of which have been identified as a key risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Many times when pregnancy is discovered, it is already too late to suddenly begin to eat healthy. Neural tube defects can develop as early as 18 days after conception. In this time frame, many women will have no idea that they are pregnant. That is why it's so important that the woman already be eating healthy before she becomes pregnant.
Some natural ingredients work better when combined with other key ingredients, which is why I take a natural multivitamin every day. Olive Leaf Extract and Myrrh Extract are two natural ingredients that you should look for in the supplement you choose for Folic Acid.
More recently, the national government has actually mandated the implementation of enriched folate levels in foods such as grains and yeast. When you go grocery shopping, it is wise to select pasta, bread, and cereals which have been fortified with this essential nutrient.
Accordingly women who cannot plan their pregnancy should continuously take folic acid so that their pregnancy is safe and secured.
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