Diet | Healthy Living | Nutrition

All You Need to Know About Folate (Vitamin B9)

Healthy PinchJuly 8, 2020

Folate or Vitamin B9 is a water-soluble vitamin. It helps to make RBCs (Red Blood Cells) & WBCs (White Blood Cells) in the bone marrow, also helps to convert the carbs into energy. It also produces and repairs DNA.

A good amount of folate intake is important in the stages of pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence. It is important for the cell growth and metabolism of the body.

The recommended allowance of folate is 400mcg for adults and 600mcg-800mcg for pregnant women. Also, during lactation, one should consume 500mcg.

Food Sources of Folate

If you have a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet, you will definitely get an appropriate amount of folate from your diet.

Still, to be specific, let me list down the folate-rich foods for you:

• Leafy, green veggies (Broccoli, Spinach)
• Citrus Fruits
• Tomato Juice
• Eggs
• Peas
• Beans
• Brussel Sprouts
• Legumes
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Kidney
• Liver Meat
• Pork
• Shellfish
• Wheat Bran &
• Fortified Cereals

How Exactly the Folate Deficiency Happens?

If you are not having folate-rich foods for a few weeks, you can easily get a deficiency of the same.

You can easily diagnose it, if your body shows these particular symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Growth Problems
• Sores in Mouth
• Premature Grey Hairs
• Tongue Swelling

You can also develop anemia if these symptoms persist for a longer time. Along with this, you can also fall short of breath, have pale skin, irritability, lethargy, and weakness if you are suffering from Anaemia.

The deficiency can also be diagnosed with a blood test. Mostly, the pregnant women are tested for its deficiency. Due to the deficiency, there might be chances of birth defects.

Supplements Used to Treat the Deficiency

People found deficient are given supplements (Folic Acid Supplements). Folic Acid is the man-made version that reduces the risk of early labor causing lesser chances of birth defects.

Diseases Caused By Folate Deficiency

You can get multiple diseases such as:

• Severe Kidney Problems
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Depression
• Celiac Disease (prevents the small intestine from absorbing nutrients from the foods) &
• Crohn’s Disease

You can also prevent yourself from these diseases by having foods that are mentioned above in the article.

Try to include those fruits and veggies in your daily diet!

Treatment to Cure the Deficiency

You need to take the treatment if you have severe health issues.

The simplest treatment is to increase the intake of folate in your diet which you can do very easily.

Secondly, you can take folic acid supplements. You should also take Vitamin B complex as Folate is combined with other B vitamins in supplements.

Avoid alcohol as it increases the folate excretion through urine from your body.

Conclusion

It is very important to include folate in your diet as it helps in healthy functioning of the body. It is an essential vitamin for pregnant women. A balanced diet can fulfill your daily needs.

Please follow and like us: