Vitamin B9 (folic acid) was first extracted from spinach and owes its second name to it. Indeed, from Latin folium is translated as a “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 high temperatures, light, the cooking process and is water soluble. Therefore, in order to achieve more benefits for one’s own health and to preserve it as much as possible in food, one should give preference to the use of fresh fruits and vegetables, natural vitamin salads. But fried-boiled goodies will have to be abandoned.
Significance for life
B9 is a vitamin designed to perform many complex functions in our body, including:
the production of red blood cells;
improvement and normalization of blood components;
promoting protein synthesis;
- metabolism;
participation in the synthesis of nucleic acids;
increase in appetite, ensuring stable digestion;
support in the fight against viral infections, immune processes;
prevention of the formation of cancer cells;
- hair and nail growth;
- stimulation of mental activity;
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 shocks. To improve mood, frequent use of the following products is necessary: bananas, chocolate, tea, dates,
oranges, tomatoes, figs.
The optimal amount per day
If you are a person who cares about his own health and the well-being of his family, it is necessary to take into account that B9 is a vitamin that will serve as an excellent assistant in this matter. Even ensuring 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 need this drug especially. In order to prevent and support the body, vitamin B9 is prescribed:
women who are able to give birth and experiencing hormonal surges (in particular during pregnancy and the postpartum period);
children and adolescents during puberty;
persons who are constantly in stressful situations and endure significant loads;
physically active people;
tan fans.
In order to properly form a daily diet, 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 experiencing a lack of folic acid. In addition, he will be chased by insomnia, eternal fatigue, forgetfulness, headaches. And if your age has crossed the mark of 40 years, low acidity of gastric juice will lead to a loss of the body's ability to fight parasites, remove toxins, and absorb proteins. Symptoms will also appear visually: pallor of the skin, psoriasis, weight loss.
So, to summarize, what can the limited consumption of B9 lead to? Vitamin deficiency is fraught with:
megaloblastic anemia;
mental illness;
problems with the stomach and intestines;
delayed puberty;
early menopause in women;
skin ailments;
consistently poor health.
Therefore, after weighing all the risks, the first and least thing you can do to keep your body in good shape is to saturate your diet with dark green vegetables and lettuce. Otherwise, doctors will have to intervene in your health problems.
Overdose and excess
The supersaturation of the human body with folic acid is an extremely rare phenomenon, but still real. This can happen when using the drug version of this drug in large quantities. To achieve its excess by taking appropriate food is not at all possible.
The main symptoms of an overdose of B9 in people of any age are indigestion, sleep problems and a noticeable excitability of the central nervous system.
Relationship with other vitamins
Why is it desirable to take a number of important substances at the same time as folic acid, in particular vitamin B12? B9 without it is not able to digest properly - this is the answer. A deficiency of cobalamin acts on the body in such a way that it becomes unable to retain minerals. Hence the slowdown of 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 nutrients.
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 affect the emotional state of a person, having a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
B9 content in food
Those who are absolutely not threatened with a lack of folic acid are adherents of the vegetarian diet. After all, their main food is fresh herbs and raw vegetables. Less fortunate supporters of preservation and dishes prepared by cooking and frying, will have to reconsider the approach to choosing food, otherwise the body will fail sooner or later.
Vitamin B9 is found in many products. However, the priority belongs to vegetables rich in this element, spinach and salad. To understand specifically in which foods Vitamin B9 is present in the greatest quantity, separation into plant and animal sources will help us.
Sources of plant origin:
most vegetables (carrots, beets, cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkin);
fruit variety (bananas, apricots, oranges, melons);
legumes (peas, beans);
walnut crops (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts);
family of cereals (barley groats, oatmeal, buckwheat);
herbs (dandelion, mint, plantain, nettle);
leaves of bushes and berries (dogrose, raspberries, currants, birch, millennials);
mushrooms (porcini, champignons, mushrooms).
Sources of animal origin:
fish products (tuna, salmon);
meat (chicken, lamb, beef, pork);
fresh milk and products from it (cheese, cottage cheese);
the eggs.
In fact, a person does not need so much vitamin B9. The required amount is easy to provide with the help of proper nutrition. Although, if this is not enough for someone, the use of synthetic vitamins of group B will help. But still, natural products are a more reliable solution.
Preserving Benefits
When organizing the diet, you need to pay attention to the fact that when processing goods with high temperature, 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 a peel - you will save 50 percent of a vitamin.
And also, the longer you cook the food, the poorer it becomes in the content of vitamin B9. The conclusion suggests itself: you have to eat raw foods. There is an alternative - it is necessary to fry or cook 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 the mother and child during gestation and in the postpartum period. Taking the necessary amounts of B vitamins, a woman can contribute to the proper formation of the placenta, prevent iron deficiency and provide resistance to infectious ailments.
The expectant mother should take care of the timely use of folic acid for two main reasons: for her own benefit and for the full development of the nascent fetus, in order to avoid pathologies and premature birth. It will be useful if several spouses take a course of vitamin B9 several months before the conception of the baby. This will increase the chances of the baby being born mentally and physically healthy.
Dose B9 during pregnancy
We 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, emetic attacks at different stages of pregnancy. The same applies to women suffering from epilepsy or diabetes.
Vitamin in ampoules: purpose and action
In addition to providing yourself with vitamin B9 in the required amounts by using 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 folic acid 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 very effective in creating special vitamin complexes aimed at preventing hair loss. To do this, shake and break the ampoule well, add to your favorite shampoo or balm.