When Pregnant Women Do Not Consume Enough Folic Acid, They Are Likely to Have Babies Born With
Folic acrid
Folic acid is a form of folate (a B vitamin) that everyone needs. If you can get meaning or are pregnant, folic acid is peculiarly of import. Folic acid protects unborn babies against serious nascence defects. You tin can get folic acrid from vitamins and fortified foods, such as breads, pastas and cereals. Folate is found naturally in foods such every bit leafy light-green vegetables, oranges, and beans.
What are folic acid and folate?
Folic acid is the human being-fabricated form of folate, a B vitamin. Folate is found naturally in certain fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Folic acid is plant in vitamins and fortified foods.
Folic acid and folate aid the trunk make healthy new cherry-red claret cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all the parts of your torso. If your trunk does not brand enough ruddy blood cells, y'all can develop anemia. Anemia happens when your claret cannot behave enough oxygen to your torso, which makes you lot pale, tired, or weak. Likewise, if you practise not get plenty folic acid, you could develop a type of anemia called folate-deficiency anemia.
Why do women demand folic acid?
Everyone needs folic acid to be healthy. But it is especially of import for women:
- Earlier and during pregnancy. Folic acid protects unborn children confronting serious nascence defects called neural tube defects. These nativity defects happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. Folic acid might also help forestall other types of birth defects and early pregnancy loss (miscarriage). Since about half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplannedane, experts recommend all women get enough folic acid even if you are not trying to get pregnant.
- To continue the blood healthy by helping red blood cells form and grow. Not getting enough folic acid can atomic number 82 to a type of anemia chosen folate-deficiency anemia. Folate-deficiency anemia is more than common in women of childbearing historic period than in men.
How exercise I get folic acrid?
You can get folic acid in two ways.
- Through the foods you eat. Folate is found naturally in some foods, including spinach, nuts, and beans. Folic acrid is constitute in fortified foods (chosen "enriched foods"), such as breads, pastas, and cereals. Await for the term "enriched" on the ingredients list to discover out whether the food has added folic acid.
- Every bit a vitamin. Virtually multivitamins sold in the The states contain 400 micrograms, or 100% of the daily value, of folic acid. Check the label to make sure.
How much folic acid do women need?
All women need 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. Women who can get pregnant should get 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid from a vitamin or from food that has added folic acrid, such as breakfast cereal.2 This is in add-on to the folate you become naturally from food.
Some women may need more folic acid each day. Encounter the chart to find out how much folic acid y'all need.
| If you: | Corporeality of folic acid you may need daily2 |
|---|---|
| Could get pregnant or are meaning | 400–800 micrograms.2 Your md may prescribe a prenatal vitamin with more. |
| Had a babe with a neural tube defect (such as spina bifida(SPEYE-nuh BIF-ih-duh) ) and want to get meaning once again | 4,000 micrograms. Your md may prescribe this amount. Research shows taking this amount may lower the hazard of having some other baby with spina bifida.3 |
| Have a family member with spina bifida and could get meaning | 4,000 micrograms. Your doctor may prescribe this corporeality. |
| Accept spina bifida and want to become pregnant | iv,000 micrograms. Your doctor may prescribe this amount. Women with spina bifida have a higher risk of having children with the condition. |
| Take medicines to care for epilepsy, type ii diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus | Talk to your doctor or nurse. Folic acid supplements can interact with these medicines. |
| Are on dialysis for kidney disease | Talk to your doctor or nurse. |
| Have a health condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease, that affects how your body absorbs folic acrid | Talk to your doctor or nurse. |
Are some women at run a risk for not getting enough folic acid?
Yes, certain groups of women exercise not get plenty folic acid each day.4
- Women who can get significant need more folic acid (400 to 800 micrograms).2
- Nearly one in three African-American women does not get enough folic acid each day.
- Castilian-speaking Mexican-American women frequently practice not get enough folic acid. Nonetheless, Mexican-Americans who speak English language usually get enough folic acid.5
Non getting enough folic acid can cause health bug, including folate-deficiency anemia, and bug during pregnancy for y'all and your unborn infant.
What can happen if I practise not get plenty folic acid during pregnancy?
If you do non get enough folic acid before and during pregnancy, your baby is at college chance for neural tube defects.
Neural tube defects are serious birth defects that affect the spine, spinal cord, or brain and may cause death. These include:
- Spina bifida.6 This status happens when an unborn baby's spinal cavalcade does not fully close during evolution in the womb, leaving the spinal cord exposed. Equally a result, the nerves that control the legs and other organs do non piece of work. Children with spina bifida ofttimes take lifelong disabilities. They may as well need many surgeries.
- Anencephaly (an-en-SEF-uh-lee) .7 This means that nearly or all of the brain and skull does non develop in the womb. Almost all babies with this condition die before or soon later birth.
Do I need to take folic acrid every day fifty-fifty if I'm not planning to go pregnant?
Yes. All women who can get pregnant need to have 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid every twenty-four hours, even if you're not planning to get significant.2 There are several reasons why:
- Your nascency control may not work or you may non use birth control correctly every time yous have sex. In a survey by the Centers for Disease Command and Prevention, nigh xl% of women with unplanned pregnancies were using birth control.viii
- Birth defects of the brain and spine tin can happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often earlier yous know you are meaning. Past the fourth dimension you observe out you are pregnant, it might be too late to foreclose the birth defects.
- You need to accept folic acid every day because it is a water soluble B-vitamin. Water soluble means that it does not stay in the trunk for a long fourth dimension. Your body metabolizes (uses) folic acrid quickly, so your body needs folic acid each day to piece of work properly.
What foods comprise folate?
Folate is found naturally in some foods. Foods that are naturally high in folate include:
- Spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables
- Oranges and orangish juice
- Nuts
- Beans
- Poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.) and meat
- Whole grains
What foods comprise folic acid?
Folic acrid is added to foods that are refined or processed (not whole grain):
- Breakfast cereals (Some have 100% of the recommended daily value — or 400 micrograms — of folic acid in each serving.)
- Breads and pasta
- Flours
- Cornmeal
- White rice
Since 1998, the Nutrient and Drug Administration (FDA) has required food manufacturers to add folic acid to processed breads, cereals, flours, cornmeal, pastas, rice, and other grains.9 For other foods, cheque the Nutrition Facts characterization on the packet to see if it has folic acid. The label will also tell you how much folic acrid is in each serving. Sometimes, the label will say "folate" instead of folic acid.
How can I be sure I get plenty folic acrid?
Yous tin can go enough folic acid from food lone. Many breakfast cereals take 100% of your recommended daily value (400 micrograms) of folic acid.
If you lot are at risk for not getting plenty folic acid, your doctor or nurse may recommend that you accept a vitamin with folic acid every day. Most U.S. multivitamins have at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Check the label on the canteen to be certain. You can besides take a pill that contains only folic acid.
If swallowing pills is hard for you, try a chewable or liquid product with folic acrid.
What should I look for when ownership vitamins with folic acrid?
Look for "USP" or "NSF" on the label when choosing vitamins. These "seals of approving" mean the pills are made properly and accept the amounts of vitamins information technology says on the label. Also, brand sure the pills accept non expired. If the bottle has no expiration date, do not buy information technology.
Ask your chemist for aid with selecting a vitamin or folic acid-but pill. If you are meaning and already take a daily prenatal vitamin, you probably go all the folic acid yous demand. Cheque the label to be certain.
Vitamin label
Bank check the "Supplement Facts" label to be sure you are getting 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acrid.ii
Can I become enough folic acrid from nutrient alone?
Yes, many people get plenty folic acid from food alone. Some foods take loftier amounts of folic acid. For case, many breakfast cereals have 100% of the recommended daily value (400 micrograms) of folic acrid in each serving. Check the label to be sure.
Some women, particularly women who could get pregnant, may not go enough folic acid from food. African-American women and Mexican Americans are also at higher take a chance for non getting plenty folic acid each twenty-four hours. Talk to your doctor or nurse virtually whether you should accept a vitamin to get the 400 micrograms of folic acid you need each mean solar day.
What is folate-deficiency anemia?
Folate-deficiency anemia is a type of anemia that happens when you practice not go enough folate. Folate-deficiency anemia is most common during pregnancy. Other causes of folate-deficiency anemia include alcoholism and sure medicines to treat seizures, anxiety, or arthritis.
The symptoms of folate-deficiency anemia include:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Pale peel
- Sore oral cavity and tongue
If you have folate-deficiency anemia, your doctor may recommend taking folic acid vitamins and eating more foods with folate.
Can I become besides much folic acid?
Yes, you tin become also much folic acid, simply only from man-fabricated products such as multivitamins and fortified foods, such equally breakfast cereals. You can't get likewise much from foods that naturally contain folate.
You should not get more than 1,000 micrograms of folic acid a mean solar day, unless your doctor prescribes a college corporeality. Also much folic acid can hide signs that you lack vitamin B12, which tin can cause nerve impairment.10
Exercise I need folic acid after menopause?
Yes. Women who have gone through menopause yet demand 400 micrograms of folic acid every day for good wellness. Talk to your physician or nurse about how much folic acrid you need.
Are folic acid pills covered under insurance?
Yep. Under the Affordable Care Deed (the health care law), all Health Insurance Marketplace plans and most other insurance plans cover folic acrid pills for women who could get pregnant at no toll to you. Bank check with your insurance provider to find out what's included in your program.
For information nigh other services covered by the Affordable Intendance Human action, visit HealthCare.gov.
Did nosotros respond your question about folic acid?
Sources
- Finer, L.B., Zolna, M.R. (2016). Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011.The New England Journal of Medicine; 374(9):843–52.
- U.S. Preventive Services Chore Forcefulness. (2016). Final Recommendation Statement: Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: Preventive Medication.
- CDC. (2016). Folic Acid Recommendations.
- Bailey, R.L., Dodd, Thousand.W., Gahche, J.J., Dwyer, J.T., McDowell, Chiliad.A., Yetley, Eastward.A., et al. (2010). Total folate and folic acid intake from foods and dietary supplements in the United States: 2003–2006. American Periodical of Clinical Nutrition; 91(1): 231–237.
- Hamner, H.C., Cogswell, K.East., Johnson, M.A. (2011). Acculturation factors are associated with folate intakes among Mexican American women. The Journal of Nutrition; 141(10): 1889–97.
- CDC. (2016). Spina Bifida.
- CDC. (2015). Facts about Anencephaly.
- Mosher, Due west.D., Jones, J., Abma, J.C. (2012). Intended and Unintended Births in the Us: 1982–2010 (PDF, 404 KB). National Health Statistics Reports; no. 55.
- U.S. Government Printing Office. (1996). Food Standards: Amendment of Standards of Identity For Enriched Grain Products to Require Add-on of Folic Acid (PDF, 215 KB). Federal Annals; 61(44): 8781.
- Morris, M.S., Jacques, P.F., Rosenberg, I.H., et al. (2007). Folate and vitamin B12 condition in relation to anemia, macrocytosis and cognitive impairment in older Americans in the age of folic acid fortification.Am J Clin Nutr; 85(1):193–200.
Source: https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/folic-acid
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