Essential Vitamins & Minerals 02 of 33

FOLIC ACID

(Vitamin B9)

Recommended Dietary Allowance

Men 200mcg

Women 180mcg

Women of child bearing age 400mcg

Healthy nails, hair, skin, mucous membranes, nerves, and blood all depend on folic acid-at times called vitamin B9, folate, or folacin. A critical component of RNA and DNA-the genetic material that controls the growth and repair of all cells. Folic acid supports immune function and may help deter atherosclerosis as well as some cancers of the mucous membranes.

Sources of folic acid include liver, kidneys, avocados, beans, beets, celery, eggs, fish, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, peas, orange juice, and fortified cereals. A healthy diet should provide adequate folic acid, but the need increases during pregnancy, with injury, with some diseases-especially cancer-and with long term use of drugs such as aspirin and oral contraceptives. Supplements taken during pregnancy may help deter the birth defects spinal bifida and cleft palate. For this reason, experts now recommend that all women of childbearing age consume 400mcg daily. High doses of folic acid are not toxic but may mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore it is best to increase folic acid intake through diet or a multivitamin that contains low-dose folic acid, rather than through individual supplements, which have to be prescribed by a doctor.

Extreme vitamin B9 deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia, a disease characterized by red blood cells that are too few in number and malformed. Symptoms include pallor; fatigue; loss of appetite; insomnia; diarrhea; and a red inflamed tongue. Those who are most susceptible to folic acid deficiency include alcoholics, people with gastrointestinal diseases, adolescents who subsist mainly on junk food, women taking contraceptives, and pregnant women who are not taking supplements.