FOLIC ACID BENEFITS – Taking folic acid when planning a pregnancy brings a lot of benefits and here are the essential reasons why.
Vitamin B9 is folic acid and if one is planning to have a baby, taking folic acid before and during the pregnancy is very important. One may get this from taking tablets and eating foods like bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, and white rice.
Folic Acid For Pregnancy – Why Is This Important?
Why is folic acid for pregnancy an essential thing?
FOLIC ACID FOR PREGNANCY – This is a man-made form of a B vitamin and these are the reasons why this is important for pregnant women.
Considered a pregnancy hero is folic acid. This is a type of B vitamin that the body needs for healthy growth and development. There are several ways you can do to ensure you get enough of this like the following:
- taking a vitamin that contains this
- consuming foods with folate
- consuming fortified foods
- a combination of vitamins and food that contain this
Foods or products with the word “fortified” or “enriched” on labels have this like bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, and white rice. Some great sources in terms of fruits and vegetables include beans, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, peanuts, citrus fruits, and 100 percent orange juice.
Now, why is this important for pregnant women to take before and during pregnancy?
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this helps form the neural tube. It is important in order to “prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida)”.
It is recommended for women of reproductive age to take 400 mcg of folic acid every day as some pregnancies are unplanned and these major birth defects can occur around 3 to 4 weeks after conception
Meanwhile, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests pregnant women take at least 600 micrograms (mcg) of this daily.
Apart from being pregnant or planning to get pregnant, several conditions will also require you to need higher doses of this like the following:
- kidney disease and are on dialysis
- sickle cell disease
- liver disease
- taking medications for epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, lupus, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, or inflammatory bowel disease
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