Cebu City - Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, which is a naturally occurring B vitamin. Manufacturers add it to supplements and fortified foods because it helps produce red blood cells, among other benefits.

Folate helps the body make healthy new red blood cells, for example. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. If the body does not make enough of these, a person can develop anemia, leading to fatigue, weakness, and a pale complexion. Without enough folate, a person can also develop a type of anemia called folate deficiency anemia.

Folate is also important for the synthesis and repair of DNA and other genetic material, and it is necessary for cells to divide. Getting enough folate during pregnancy is particularly important. This is because folic acid is crucial for early fetal development, particularly the development of the spinal cord.

Why does pregnant women required to consume folate in optimum amounts? Folate is important for pregnancy because they can help prevent birth defects known as neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. A pregnant woman needs to take in 180 tabs of iron-folic acid throughout her pregnancy. This is one of the critical interventions in the First 1000 Days (pregnancy up to the first two years of a child’s life).

Spina bifida is one of the most common birth defects. It occurs in the first weeks of pregnancy, when the brain and spinal cord are still forming. Aside from getting folate by supplements, a pregnant women can get folate through this following food sources: vegetables, fruit, legumes, eggs, and nuts. // PDO I Joyce M. Santillan, RND


REFERENCE:
Folate and pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby (pregnancybirthbaby.org.au)