Minute amounts of dietary folate can help prevent devastating birth defects. In developing nations where naturally occurring folate is lacking, oral supplementation or food fortification with folic acid have become ubiquitous in recent years. The World Health Organization has identified the effort to supply folic acid in supplements or fortified foods as a small intervention with enormous consequences.
What is Folic Acid?
According to the National Institutes of Health, folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, can come from naturally occurring folate. Folic acid itself is not biologically active and must be converted by the liver to attain the active form. Folic acid is required during the cell reproduction process. It also is important in maintaining the normal functions of various cell processes including DNA synthesis. One other major function of folic acid is its role in orchestrating the normal development of the fetal nervous system.
The Neural Tube
During early fetal development, one of the first things to form is a structure called the neural tube. This complex structure is the rudimentary nervous system. It must develop in a precise manner because it ultimately forms baby's brain and spinal cord. One of the chemicals required for the neural tube to develop normally is folic acid obtained through the mother's diet. Thus, pregnant women require folic acid immediately before and after pregnancy so that the baby's brain and spinal cord can develop normally.
Deficiency Consequences
Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women can lead to neural tube malformation. When folic acid deficiency occurs, the brain and spinal cord cannot develop normally from the outset because the developmental precision is lost. One result of folic acid deficiency is spina bifida. This is when the spinal cord does not form correctly as a result of incomplete closure of the neural tube. Spina bifida can be of the mild form, or it can be so severe that the spinal cord protrudes through openings in the vertebrae. Another consequence of folic acid deficiency is anencephaly. This is a malformation of the brain resulting from incomplete closure of the neural tube toward the brain of the fetus. With anencephaly a large portion of the brain, skull and scalp are absent. Infants are born without a forebrain which is the part of the brain responsible for thinking.
Recommended Intake
The Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA, for folate are made by the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences. For males and females over 18 years old, 400 micrograms per day is recommended. If a woman is pregnant the recommendation is 600 micrograms per day. If a woman is lactating the recommendation is 500 micrograms per day.
Folic Acid Sources
Folate is present in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens. Folate is also present in fruits, dried bean, peas and nuts. Certain enriched breads, flours, corn meals, rice, pastas and other grain products also contain folate.
Member Comments