What are the benefits of folic acid?
- Prevention of neural tube defects
- Healthy pregnancy
- Improve fertility
- Aid in mental health
- Support brain function
- Improve folate levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients
- Treat a folate deficiency
Folate is a water-soluble B-vitamin found in spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, avocado, chickpeas, and more. Folate’s manufactured form, also known as folic acid, is found in fortified foods such as cereal and bread. If you don’t get enough of this vitamin from your diet, you might need to take it in supplement form to prevent deficiencies and pregnancy difficulties. To understand the folic acid benefits, keep on reading!
Prevention Of Neural Tube Effects
If you’re a woman of child-bearing age, it is recommended to keep up with the recommended daily folic acid intake—which is 400 micrograms per day. This is because women don’t know they’re carrying a baby until after a few weeks of pregnancy when defects could develop. To ensure that you’re consuming the right amount of this vitamin, it is beneficial to take a supplement such as Folic Acid 400 mcg by Puritan’s Pride!
Folic acid supplements can help prevent neural tube defects, affecting the brain and spine of a baby.
Healthy Pregnancy
Aside from preventing problems with unborn babies, folic acid supplementation can also be beneficial for a woman’s pregnancy journey. If you’re pregnant, this vitamin might also help prevent complications such as preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is a condition that involves high blood pressure, excess protein and urine, and liver and kidney problems. If neglected, it could lead to problems for both the mom and the baby. To prevent this complication, it is recommended to consult a doctor regularly for prenatal care.
Improve Fertility
Folic acid has been widely used to prevent congenital disabilities and secure a healthy pregnancy, but did you know that it might also be beneficial for women who are trying to conceive? It has assisted reproductive technology treatment and has lead to higher live birth rates. Other than that, it might also help increase the quality of oocytes— an immature egg found in the ovaries.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, you can ask your doctor if you can take folic acid supplements. With its overall benefits for pregnancy, it’s a good choice for women even before trying for a baby.
Aid In Mental Health
Depression is a mental health disorder that has plenty of symptoms. It affects the way you think, feel, and behave—which can influence the quality of your life. It requires long-term treatment, which includes medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes. Nutrition is also vital because people with this condition have higher chances of having low folate levels than those without depression.
Other than depression, deficiency in this vitamin is also common in patients with schizophrenia. But when combined with antipsychotic medications, they can improve negative symptoms.
Support Brain Function
If you don’t consume an ample amount of folate in your diet, you might be at an increased risk of cognitive disorders such as dementia. Dementia is a health condition for any impaired ability to think, remember, and make decisions—with the most common type being
Alzheimer’s disease.
Aside from helping you fight cognitive disorders, folic acid supplements might help improve brain function in adults with mild cognitive impairment. It can be beneficial for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, in addition to medication.
Improve Folate Levels In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a type of
inflammatory disease that causes swelling of the joints. It occurs when your immune system malfunctions by attacking the healthy tissues in your body. This causes the joints to become inflamed and cause chronic pain. Aside from that, it can also damage other body parts such as the eyes, skin, lungs, and heart.
One of the medications commonly prescribed to patients with rheumatoid arthritis is methotrexate. As a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), it can delay the progression of this condition. But it might affect the way your body interacts with folate—causing lower levels than usual. This is why your doctor might also prescribe a folic acid supplement with your medication.
Treat A Folate Deficiency
Aside from a diet low in folate, diseases such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and kidney problems can also cause a deficiency. If this happens, you might experience trouble concentrating, fatigue, heart palpitations, and mouth sores. It could also lead to folate-deficiency anemia.
Fortunately, a folate deficiency can be addressed by increasing your intake of folate. A supplement is also beneficial so you can track the amount you’re consuming.
Key Takeaway
If you have a busy lifestyle, consuming folate from your diet might be difficult. To experience the folic acid benefits, you can get the recommended amount of folate by taking Folic Acid from Puritan's Pride! For less than 300 pesos, you will get 250 tablets of high-quality folic acid that is beneficial in pregnancy, brain function, mental health, arthritis, and overall health.
