Vitamin B9 Folic Acid
TopForm products that contain Vitamin B9 Folic Acid| Name | Amount Per Serving | Daily Value % |
| Men's Multivitamin | 400mcg | 100% |
| Women's Multivitamin | 800mcg | 200% |
| Prenatal Chocolate | 1mg | 250% |
| Healthy Chocolate | 400mcg | 100% |
Click to see known causes of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid Deficiency.
Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is part of the B complex of vitamins. This means like other B complex vitamins that Vitamin B9 Folic Acid plays an important role in helping the body to convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose). The B complex vitamins also help the body to metabolize fats and proteins. Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is also water-soluble. This means the body has a difficult time to store the vitamin in its system for extended periods of time. Normally the body will have to replenish its supply of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid through a daily diet, and the excess of the vitamin will be passed through the urinary tract of the body.
Vitamin B9 Folic Acid does play a unique and vital role in the human body. The human body cannot synthesize DNA, repair DNA, or methylate DNA without Vitamin B9 Folic Acid. When the body is going through a period of rapid cell division or growth it is very important to have the proper levels of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid. For the health of red blood cells in people of all ages it is important for a person to have a healthy level of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in their diet.
Since Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is so important to the health of the human body, a deficiency can be very problematic. There are many differing diseases and other health problems connected to not having enough Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in a diet.
Brief History
There was a belief once that folate deficiency and anemia were the same thing, Yet, in the 1930’s there was a discovery that women needed folate to prevent anemia during pregnancy. Vitamin B9 Folic Acid was first extracted from spinach leaves in 1941. The pure crystalline form was isolated in 1943, which help to determine its chemical structure. In the 1950’s scientist found that Vitamin B9 Folic Acid helped in the fighting and prevention of cancer in the human body. It was in the 1990’s that scientists really started to focus on the amounts of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid which people were consuming in their diets. In the 1990’s scientists discovered that people weren’t getting enough Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in their daily diets, and there were wide spread deficiencies not only in developing countries, but also in the developed nations as well. This discovery of a lack of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid, in diets, led to the creation of the folate fortification program in the United States.
Food Sources
The enrichment of many food staples is a very common practice, especially in developing world countries. Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is added to many of the grains which are milled for cereals and breads in the countries which are still underdeveloped. There are other foods which are very high in Vitamin B9 Folic Acid and should be added to a healthy diet. A good source of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is leafy vegetables such as: spinach asparagus, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, dried or fresh beans, and dried or fresh peas. Other sources of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid include: fortified grains (pastas, breads, and cereals), sunflower seeds, orange juice, canned pineapple juice, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapefruit juice, banana, raspberry, grapefruit, strawberry, beets, broccoli, corn tomato juice, vegetable juice, brussels sprouts, and bok choy.
Other foods which contain some Folic include liver products and baker’s yeast. There are ways to destroy the Vitamin B9 Folic Acid which some foods contain. Exposure to light, heat, or too much water could result in the loss of the Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in foods. A person should also be careful if they are taking meal replacements instead of eating actual meals. Why? Many meal replacements don’t contain enough Vitamin B9 Folic Acid to meet the recommended daily allowance for the health of the body.
How to Get Proper Amounts of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in a Diet?
With the importance of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid in a diet, and also the number of people suffering from the deficiency of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid it is important to monitor the levels a person is consuming in their diet. A good way to get enough is to have a well balanced diet which includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and very little fats. It is also essential for a person to know the proper ways to prepare foods as to not lose their vitamin and mineral values. This means to stay away from high heat, direct light, and also to avoid excessive water. The boiling of many vegetables can strip them of their vitamins, if the vitamins are water-soluble—which Vitamin B9 Folic Acid happens to be. Unless the person will drink the water which was used to boil the vegetable they will lose many of the nutrients.
The best way to supplement a diet with something as important as Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is to take a good daily multivitamin. A good daily multivitamin should be purchased from a trusted brand name in vitamins. Why? There are many companies who do not place the proper amount of nutrients to ensure proper dieting. What a person should look for in a daily multivitamin is for it to be gender specific. Men and women require different levels of vitamins and minerals in their diets. For this reason a good vitamin company will produce gender specific vitamins which are designed to fit the needs of both men and women. The vitamins should also contain exact instructions about how many should be taken, in order to prevent vitamin toxicity.
A good daily multivitamin will serve as an agent to fill in the cracks of a poorer diet, and allow people to get the health they need. Vitamin B9 Folic Acid is such an essential vitamin, it is important for people to pay close attention to the levels of Vitamin B9 Folic Acid which they are getting in their diet. Not only does it affect a person’s daily health, but it will affect a person’s long term anti-cancer health as well.
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