The Importance of Folic Acid

From the care before getting pregnant to every single stage of pregnancy, there is an important vitamin always present and widely recommended not only for a healthy diet but to give birth to a healthy baby: the Folic acid, a B vitamin.

Folic acid prevents birth defects, including neural tube defects and other birth disorders like congenital heart disease, cleft lip and premature death; this is the reason why it is considered a brain food and energy producer. Folic acid is in charge of formatting red blood cells and properly strengthens immunity, formation and functioning of white blood cells.

As a nutrient, folic acid also helps a woman overcome depression and anxiety at the same time it is an effective treatment of uterine cervical dysplasia. The daily recommended consumption is 400 micrograms of folic acid, in addition to a well balanced diet.

Researches have proven that folic acid works even best when it is combined with vitamin B12 and vitamin C. In the United States , most multi-vitamins contain the required amount of folic acid plus the other vitamins your body needs during pregnancy.

Such multivitamins are also distributed worldwide so practically everybody can get them everywhere or find their local equivalents; however, a woman who is not yet pregnant should keep in mind that alcohol inhibits folic acid absorption.

In addition, it is important to know that women who have been using oral contraceptives for a long time will need an increased requirement of folic acid during pregnancy; without it, cell division might be impaired leading to poor growth.