If you are woman, this post is for you!
Regardless of your age or your plans to start a family, make today the day that you start taking a multivitamin and extra folic acid.
Important things that Folic acid does for you:
- Essential to nervous system function
- Involved in the detoxification and metabolism of estrogen, dopamines, DNA
- Involved in production of SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) and hemoglobin
- Folic acid is necessary for healthy development and repair of tissues in the vagina, cervix ,digestive tract and essentially all tissues.
Folic acid protects babies from neural tube defects like spina bifida.
- Deficiency of Folic Acid is associated with:
- Adrenal dysfunction (Poor response to stressful situations)
- Depression
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Increased risk of cervical cancer and ovarian cysts
- Impaired production and conversion of estrogen and progesterone by the ovaries
Why does every woman require folic acid supplementation? How does this happen you ask? The frustrating thing is that any woman taking oral contraceptives is increasing her risk for a folic acid deficiency. Combine birth control pills with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption and you magnify the folic acid deficiency considerably. There are other medications that we consume every day that deplete folic acid from our body:
- NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin®(ibuprofen), Aleve®(naproxen), Celebrex®, and aspirin.
- Medications that treat seizure disorders like phenytoin, valproic acid, carbamazepine also deplete folic acid.
What would be the symptoms that you would experience if you have a deficiency? Look for numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, an inflamed sore tongue that appears smooth and shiny, impaired wound healing and a weakened immune system.
The best thing to do is to supplement with folic acid every day with a dose of 400mcg, ask your doctor if this is appropriate for you or if you would require a prescription strength.
You can also increase your consumption of foods that are high in folic acid like
Black eyed peas, wheat germ, liver, soy beans, lima beans, asparagus, walnuts, spinach, peanuts, peanut butter, almonds, mushrooms, dates, ground beef, and oranges.
Folic acid is used to treat many medical conditions:
- Gout
- Gingivitis
- Psoriasis
- Depression
- Prevent birth defects
- Cervical dysplasia
Attention all women of childbearing age: you should be taking a multivitamin and folic acid every day. Tell your friends, tell your family members. Stop people on the street as they walk by and tell them that they should be taking a multivitamin and folic acid, the benefits for the fetus are a proven fact.
Tell me what you think about this article, did you already know how important folic acid is? Do you have questions about the material covered in this post?
