Section 2- Folic AcidThe Miracle Vitamin?

What is Folic Acid?

• It is a water-soluble B vitamin.

• It is found in…– Multivitamins– Fortified Foods– Green vegetables– Orange juice– Beans & Nuts– Fruits– Eggs

What is Folic Acid?• Most of us do not ingest enough folate each

day, therefore many common foods are enriched with folic acid.

• These include: cereals, breads, flour• Folate which is naturally found in the products

mentioned before can be used by the body to create folic acid.

• However, it can easily be destroyed during the cooking, processing, and storage of food.

• Foods and vitamins enriched with folic acid are a more stable source.

How Does Folic Acid Work?

• Folic acid is critical for body development, maintenance and function.

• It has 2 main roles-

#1. It is used in the process of cell division, which is essential for the body to grow and development.

#2. It converts homocysteine to methionine.

How Does Folic Acid Work?• Homocysteine and methoionine are amino acids

that help with the biochemical reactions in our body.– Enzymes are proteins that stimulate the chemical

reactions in the body.– Co-factors help enzymes do their job. – Folic acid is one of the many co-factors used in this

process.

• Homocysteine levels can build up if there is not enough folic acid to aid in the conversion process.

• Too much homocysteine is bad for the cardiovascular system.

Why Take Folic Acid?

• In the early 1980’s and 1990’s several studies reported a 50-70% decrease in the number of babies born with neural tube defects from mother’s who had taken folic acid.

• For this reason it is recommended that all pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant take folic acid.

Why Take Folic Acid?

• Low amounts of folic acid in the expecting mother has also been linked to several other factors:– Premature delivery– Poor prenatal development– Placental abruption– Trouble with blood vessels within the placenta

Who Should Take Folic Acid?

• Everyone!

• The benefits are largely focused on expecting mothers.

• However, folic acid has overall health benefits that are positive for everyone.

• It has been shown to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease as well as several types of cancer.

How Much Folic Acid Should I Take?

• U.S Public Health Service recommends that all pregnant females take 0.4 milligrams per day.

• This is the normal amount present in most multivitamins on the market and there is no need for a prescription.

• If you have a child who has a neural defect, it is recommended that for future pregnancies you take 10 x’s the amount = 4 milligrams.– This amount requires a prescription.

When Should I Take Folic Acid?• For the highest fetal benefit, folic acid must

be in the mother’s body at the time of conception.

• The neural tube is completely formed by day 28 of the pregnancy.

• In the U.S. about ½ of all pregnancies are unplanned.

• In teens that raises to 95%.

• Many women do not know they are pregnant for 4-6 weeks.

Neural Tube Defects• Occur in about 1 out of every 1,000 babies.• It is 2nd in the cause of infant mortality.

– Congenital Heart Defects are 1st.

• In prenatal development, the neural tube will eventually become the brain and spinal chord.

• It begins as a flat layer of cells and then forms a cylinder that closes around the zips shut around the tube.

• Neural tube defect occurs when the tube fails to close.

An Ounce of Prevention 2000, 2005 The Curators of the University of Missouri

An Ounce of Prevention 2000, 2005 The Curators of the University of Missouri

Spina Bifida• Occurs when the neural tube defect is at the

spinal chord.• Can Lead to:

– Muscle weakness– Paralysis– loss of sensation in legs– poor bladder and bowel

control

• Baby will need surgery 24-48 hours after birth.

An Ounce of Prevention 2000, 2005 The Curators of the University of Missouri

Spina Bifida• The location on the spine and the severity of

the defect will determine the level of impairment.

• May cause paralysis which will affect walking and bowel/bladder control.

• Treatment throughout the child’s lifetime will be needed to monitor kidney functions.

Anencephaly (an-in-SEF-uh-lee)• A neural tube defect at the top part of the

skull.

• Usually results in miscarriage, stillbirth, or death shortly after birth.

• There is no surgical correction available.

Encephalocele (in-SEF-uh-low-seel)

• Defect of the skull (smaller than anencephaly) that causes the brain tissue to herniate and form a sac protruding from the skull.

• Rarer than other types of neural tube defects.• Surgical correction may

be possible. • Functioning levels of

the baby depend on the size and severity of the encephalocele.

What Causes Neural Tube Defects?

• 90% are caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors.

• Chromosomal abnormality

• Genetic syndromes

• Parents who have had a child with a neural tube defect are advised to seek genetic counseling to determine their risk of producing another child with this defect.

What Causes Neural Tube Defects?

• Every couple has a slight risk of having a child with a neural tube defect.

• Some factors do increase this risk-– English or Irish ancestry– Poor diet– Family history of neural tube defects– Low levels of folic acid– Exposure to high temperatures (tanning beds,

saunas, hot tubs etc.)

Discussion• You will develop and write your response to the

following situation on a piece of notebook paper. • Tomorrow some of you will be selected to share

your responses aloud- be prepared!

Your friend discovers that she is pregnant, the baby is in the 6th week of prenatal development. The pregnancy is unplanned and she has not been eating or taking care of herself properly. She

comes to you for advice, what would you tell her in regards to her diet?