Years ago many women suffered in pregnancy from a variety of ailments, among them was anemia. This was simply considered one of the common problems of getting pregnant, along with the difficulties of childbirth and the fear of something being wrong with the baby. In the early nineteen thirties yeast extract was first discovered by Dr. Lucy Wills to help correct the problem of anemia in pregnant women. Soon it was found that a substance in the yeast extract was responsible for the correction and this substance was folate.
Folate and folic acid were soon found to correct anemia caused by a variety of ailments, due to its essential involvement in the creation of red blood cells.
Folic acid was found to provide many other health benefits to the human body and babies. Folic acid is involved in the replication and maintainence of DNA and RNA. These are the building blocks of life and thus are very important to a developing fetus. Folic acid has been found to decrease the risks of certain birth defects substantially. These defects are neural tube disorders including, spina bifida and anencephaly, cleft palate, cleft lip and limb defects.
There is also some evidence that folic acid can help protect against cancer. Firstly folic acid helps with DNA replication. So high levels of folic acid can help to cut down on the risks of mistakes in replication that can lead to cancer. Secondly folic acid is an antioxidant. Antioxidants snatch up free radicals in the body that damage your cells. This damage can also lead to cancer.
Also folic acid has been shown to keep the levels of homocysteine in the blood down. Homocysteine is a by-product of the breakdown of methionine which is a part of the protein we take in, in our food. Homocysteine has been linked to cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Homocysteine in the blood damages the lining of the blood vessels which can lead to arteriosclerosis. This is hardening of the arteries which can make it difficult for blood to travel through the cardiovascular system.
In the case of cardiovascular disease its been found that people with high levels of homocysteine are twice as likely as other people to suffer from clogged arteries. Arteriosclerosis also creates a progressive narrowing of the blood vessels and arteries. This reduces the flow of blood and vital oxygen to parts of your body. It makes your heart work harder and raises your blood pressure.
There is a connection between high levels of homocysteine and Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Though researchers aren’t exactly sure yet if the high levels of homocysteine are a symptom of Alzheimers or one of the causes. It has been shown that if a person takes high doses of folic acid regularly have more cognitive function than those who haven’t.
If you take folic acid the recommended daily value is four hundred mcg. If you are pregnant, could become pregnant or are lactating you should take between six hundred and eight hundred mcg. daily.
