Also known as vitamin M or folate, folic acid is a nutrient found in many common foods and is actually the water-soluble form of vitamin B9. The name folic acid is derived from the Latin word folium meaning “leaf” as many leafy vegetables contain high levels of the vitamin. In 1931, folic acid was first identified by Dr. Lucy Wills as an essential nutrient in preventing anemia during pregnancy. Nowadays, it is known as the crucial supplement for pregnant women to avoid the development of neural tube defects of their babies.
Folic acid is required for cell reproduction and growth. It helps form building blocks of DNA and is necessary for protein synthesis in all cells, particularly in generating new red blood cells and immune cells. It is an important vitamin for everybody but especially for pregnant women as rapidly growing tissues, such as those of a fetus, have a high need for folic acid. A deficiency in folic acid results in a form of anemia which responds quickly to folic acid supplementation and is easily cured. Conversely, pregnant women with insufficient intake of folic acid are more likely to give birth prematurely or to deliver babies with low birth weight or with neural tube defects, causing incurable harm to their unborn babies. Since a great percentage of pregnancies are unplanned, folic acid has been fortified in commonly eaten foods to help prevent birth defects.
The Recommended Daily Allowance for folic acid is 0.4mg for both men and women. However, women are advised to take folic acid prior to conception and to continue supplementing their regular diets with folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy. Folic acid has no known toxic levels but it is not recommended to consume over 1mg per day since large amounts of folic acid may lead to vitamin B12 deficiency.
References:
(1) http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/vitamin-b9.html
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folic_acid
(3)http://www.puritan.com/pages/healthnotes.asp?languri=
eng&org=nbty&ContentID=2846002
