Folic acid is a fundamental molecule for the health of us all, without class preferences or gender or age.
Of course, in some situations it is absolutely vital, but nobody should feel "dispensed". Folic acid provides benefits of various kinds.
We summarize the 5 main benefits of folic acid .
Folic acid and anemia
Folic acid, or Vitamin B9, is a molecule that intervenes in the cellular synthesis of proteins, DNA and hemoglobin .
Recall that hemoglobin is the factor that transports - thanks to iron - oxygen to body tissues, and that the deficiency of hemoglobin (or red blood cells) is called anemia .
Thus , folic acid deficiencies in adults occur mainly with megaloblastic anemia, that is, lack of iron in hemoglobin and enlarged red blood cells. In these cases, folic acid has significant benefits for the healing of anemia.
Folic acid and heart
Folic acid helps reduce the levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, so it is essential to provide folic acid if these values are found to be high.
In fact, high homocysteine is related to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and vascular disease .
Also read Folic Acid and Food >>
Folic acid and correct development of the fetus
These are the most well-known benefits and for which folic acid supplementation is essential for pregnant women .
Taking folic acid during pregnancy is essential for the proper development of the fetus, especially for the prevention of some congenital neural tube defects - the structure that will create the nervous system and the spine in the first weeks of pregnancy - such as spina bifida (the backbone develops two terminations instead of one), anencephaly (lacked or incorrect brain development).
Spina bifida involves problems of varying degrees, some of which can be corrected with surgery, others that cannot be surgically resolved, such as paralysis of the lower limbs, difficulty in controlling the intestine and bladder, and difficulties in physical and mental development. Children with anencephaly die before birth or when they are born.
Furthermore, folic acid seems to play a role in the prevention of other defects and congenital malformations (cleft lip and palate, some heart defects).
Folic acid for depression
Folic acid is essential for the functioning of the nervous system, therefore it also presents itself as a valid ally for the mind: thanks to its ability to lower blood levels of homocysteine, it prevents disorders such as depression and mental deficit and is a valid aid to psychological level.
Folic acid for stroke prevention
Folic acid is useful in preventing stroke : a study conducted by researchers at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing and published in the Journal of American medical association tells us this.
The study involved over 20 thousand hypertensive adults (hypertension or high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke) but they had not been affected by stroke or heart attacks.
In the groups studied, for those with low folic acid values, the protective activity of any drugs used for hypertension is more evident thanks to the administration of folic acid.
The protective effect of folic acid could be explained by its ability to act on homocysteine levels - which has pro-thrombotic effects, which leads to the formation of clots in the blood vessels and greater risk of stroke. Recall that stroke is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and cancer.
