Vitamin B9 (folic acid) was first extracted from spinach and owes its second name to it. After all, folium is translated from Latin as “leaf”. Its optimal amount in the human body is of great importance for the growth of all cells, as well as their renewal.
Vitamin B9 is too vulnerable to heat, light, cooking and is water soluble. Therefore, in order to achieve more benefits for your own he alth and keep it as much as possible in food, you should give preference to the use of fresh fruits and vegetables, natural vitamin salads. But fried-boiled goodies will have to be abandoned.
Life value
B9 is a vitamin designed to perform many complex functions in our body, including:
- production of red blood cells;
- improvement and normalization of blood components;
- promotion of protein synthesis;
- metabolism;
- participation in the process of nucleic acid synthesis;
- increasing appetite, ensuring stable digestion;
- support in the fight against viral infections, immune processes;
- prevent cancer cells;
- hair and nail growth;
stimulation of mental activity;
- rapid tissue healing process;
-
help with adolescent puberty.
In an ideal amount, vitamin B9 (folic acid) helps the synthesis of special substances, which contributes to the production of the hormone of joy - serotonin, as well as cells designed to protect us from the negative effects of stress, life upheavals. To improve your mood, you need to eat the following foods frequently: bananas, chocolate, tea, dates, oranges, tomatoes, figs.
Optimal amount per day
If you are a person who cares about your own he alth and the well-being of your loved ones, you need to consider that B9 is a vitamin that will serve as an excellent assistant in this matter. Even providing its use in a minimal amount, but daily and, most importantly, regularly, you can not worry about its deficiency.
There is a norm that allows you to set the optimal dose - 200 mcg per day. But there is a category of people who especially need this drug. In order to prevent and support the body, vitamin B9 is prescribed:
- women of childbearing potential and experiencing hormonal surges (particularly during pregnancy and postpartum);
- children and adolescents during puberty;
- persons who are constantly in stressful situations and endure significant stress;
- physically active people;
- tanning fans.
In order to properly form a diet for a day, you need to carefully study the content in B9 products. This vitamin is the way to solve many problems. But getting it in the right proportions from food is not an easy task.
Vitamin deficiency
Aggression, irritability, depression - all these conditions will remain constant companions of a person who is deficient in folic acid. In addition, he will be haunted by insomnia, eternal fatigue, forgetfulness, and headaches. And if your age has crossed the mark of 40 years, low acidity of gastric juice will lead to the loss of the body's ability to fight parasites, remove toxins, and absorb proteins. Symptoms will also appear visually: pale skin, psoriasis, weight loss.
So, to summarize, what can limited consumption of B9 lead to? A vitamin in deficiency is fraught with:
- megaloblastic anemia;
- mental illness;
- problems with the stomach and intestines;
- delayed puberty;
- early onset of menopause in women;
- skin ailments;
- not feeling well.
Therefore, having weighed all the risks, the first and least thing you can do tokeeping the body in good shape is to saturate the diet with dark green vegetables and lettuce. Otherwise, doctors will have to intervene in your he alth problems.
Overdose and excess
Oversaturation of the human body with folic acid is an extremely rare phenomenon, but still real. This can happen when using a drug version of this drug in large quantities. There is no way to achieve its excess by taking appropriate foods.
The main symptoms of a B9 overdose in people of any age are digestive upset, sleep problems, and marked excitability of the central nervous system.
Relationship with other vitamins
Why is it desirable to take a number of other important substances along with folic acid, in particular vitamin B12? B9 without it is not able to be properly absorbed - that's the answer. The lack of cobalamin affects the body in such a way that it becomes unable to retain minerals. Hence the slowdown in cell division, which means inhibition of the processes of development and growth. In addition, B9 is rapidly consumed when there is a large amount of methionine, which is found in meat products and cheese. Therefore, it is advisable to take care of the balance of all useful substances.
Please note that if there is one representative of group B in a certain type of product, it can be argued that there are others. Vitamins B6, B12, B9 in the complex are endowed with a wonderful ability to positively influenceon the emotional state of a person, having a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
B9 content in food
Who is absolutely not threatened by a lack of folic acid is the adherents of a vegetarian diet. After all, their main food is fresh herbs and raw vegetables. The less fortunate supporters of conservation and dishes prepared by boiling and frying will have to reconsider the approach to choosing food, otherwise sooner or later the body will fail.
Vitamin B9 is found in many foods. However, the championship belongs to vegetables rich in this element, spinach and lettuce. To understand specifically in which foods vitamin B9 is found in the greatest quantity, we will be helped by the division into plant and animal sources.
Vegetable Sources:
- most vegetables (carrots, beets, cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkin);
- fruit variety (bananas, apricots, oranges, melons);
- legumes (peas, beans);
- nut crops (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts);
- cereal family (barley groats, oatmeal, buckwheat);
- herbs (dandelion, mint, plantain, nettle);
- leaves of bushes and berries (rose hips, raspberries, currants, birch, yarrow);
- mushrooms (porcini, champignons, mushrooms).
Animal Sources:
- fish products (tuna, salmon);
- meat (chicken,lamb, beef, pork);
- fresh milk and products from it (cheese, cottage cheese);
- eggs.
In reality, a person does not need much vitamin B9. It is easy to provide the necessary amount of it with the help of competent nutrition. Although, if this is not enough for someone, taking synthetic B vitamins will help. But still, natural products are a more reliable solution.
Sustaining benefits
When organizing the diet, you need to pay attention to the fact that when processing goods with high temperatures, you can lose 90 percent of folic acid. When it comes to boiled vegetables and meat, they lose from 70 to 90 percent of the useful vitamin. If you prefer to fry them, be prepared for the fact that 95 percent of B9 will disappear. Boil vegetables in their skins - you save 50 percent of the vitamin.
And the longer you cook food, the poorer it becomes in terms of vitamin B9. The conclusion suggests itself: you will have to eat foods raw. There is an alternative - fry or boil very quickly, over high heat and with the lid closed.
Folic acid in the life of a future mother
Today it is difficult to meet a girl who, when planning a pregnancy, would not be aware of the special role of folic acid in the well-being of mother and child during gestation and in the postpartum period. Taking vitamins of group B in the required proportions, a woman can contribute to the correctformation of the placenta, prevent iron deficiency and provide resistance to infectious diseases.
Expectant mother should take care of the timely use of folic acid for two main reasons: for her own good and for the full development of the nascent fetus, in order to avoid pathologies and premature birth. It would be useful if both spouses take a course of vitamin B9 a few months before the conception of a child. This will increase the baby's chances of being born mentally and physically he althy.
Dose of B9 during pregnancy
We have already stipulated that for the full functioning of all body systems, an adult needs to take 200 micrograms of vitamin B9 every day. For pregnant women, this dose will exceed the indicated rate at least twice. In some cases, the doctor can increase it four times. This happens if the patient has a pronounced vitamin deficiency, vomiting attacks at different stages of pregnancy. The same goes for women with epilepsy or diabetes.
Vitamin in ampoules: purpose and action
In addition to providing yourself with the necessary amounts of vitamin B9 through the use of the gifts of nature, today there are other ways. This is the intake of acid in liquid form and in tablets. Vitamin B9 in ampoules is intended mainly for those who suffer from folate deficiency anemia or hair loss. In the second case, this drug is simply indispensable for women who dream of luxurious hair. Moreover, this vitamin substance is veryeffective in the creation of special vitamin complexes aimed at preventing hair loss. To do this, shake well and break the ampoule, add to your favorite shampoo or balm.
