Role of Folic Acid in Pre-Pregnant Woman

Folic acid is an important water soluble vitamin. The naturally occurring form of this vitamin is called folate. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate.

Folic acid is a known vitamin that has been added to Cold cereals,  Flour, Breads, Pasta, Bakery items, Cookies and crackers.

The addition of folic acid to these food items is required by federal law in the US. Natural foods that contain high folate include:

Leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), okra, asparagus,
Fruits (such as bananas, melons, and lemons) Beans, Yeast, Mushrooms, Meat (such as beef liver and kidney), orange juice, and tomato juice.

Uses
Folic acid is used for so many purposed including: Preventing and treating low blood levels of folate (folate deficiency),
2. Treating inability of the bowel to absorb nutrients properly.
3. Folic acid is also used for other conditions commonly associated with folate deficiency, including ulcerative colitis, liver disease, alcoholism, and kidney dialysis.

Role of Folic Acid in Pregnancy and Baby Development
Generally folic acid is very important and plays an active protective role in proper development of the fetus.

Generally, it is recommended that ALL women who are trying to become pregnant and who are currently pregnant should take folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects in the baby and also prevent miscarriages.  

Neural tube defects are birth defects such as spina bifida that occur when the fetus’s spine and back do not close during development. Folic acid helps in normal development of neural tubes.

Folic acid is involved in producing the genetic material called DNA and in numerous other bodily functions in the baby.

Dr Chudi Godsons
References & Photo Credit
WebMD
Mayo Clinic
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