I guess we read and heard enough about the good side of folic acid now let us take a look if there is a bad side to it.

As most people are aware that folic acid is also part of the B vitamin family which is necessary to help our body function in different ways, especially for women who are pregnant.

I assume you might be mentally exhausted reading about this same information million time everywhere on the web on how important folic acid is for to be mothers and pregnant women; that is because two or more decades back there were a huge number of children being born in the U.S with NTDs (Neural Tube Defects); hence the hype and repetition of information.

However, due to the number of NTD defects FDA (Food and Drug Administration) passed a rule in the U.S in 1996 that all processed foods must be enriched with folic acids to prevent further birth and growth defects in unborn and growing children.

Since folic acid is a water soluble vitamin extra doses of it will be excreted through urine but if you consume more than just extra doses of folic acid then your kidneys will have a problem excreting it and then what remains in the body circulates and kills cells that prevent cancer. The other side effects of un-excreted folic acid are dizziness and other minor complications. Since it is a water soluble vitamin and since most of it comes out through urine it does not really have too many side effects. Nevertheless, do not keep taking over doses of it because then you are putting your body at risk of getting cancer.

Just remember even if you think you are maintaining a healthy balance diet which has sufficient folic acid in it you might be wrong as some nutrients and vitamins cannot be obtained by food alone, you would need to still take supplements to fill in the gap that food alone cannot fulfill.

Women finding it hard to get pregnant are asked to take folic acid and women who are planning to have children are asked to start on folic acid supplements prior to conceiving; say about 2-3 months before conceiving as that could reduce or prevent babies from being born with neural tube defects (NTD) such as spinal bifada and problem with fusion of the spinal cord in the skin. Folic acid can also prevent children from being born with a cleft palette. NTD was the main reason for FDAs (Food and Drug Administration) regulation to add folic acid in food. This rule was passed in the year 1996.

According to proven studies and research on animals has proven that folic acid can also prevent certain kinds of cancer in women such as colon cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and some other forms of cancer.

Older women are usually prone to folic acid deficiency due to their diets and intake of folic acid supplements, and also due to a weakened absorption of folic acid in their small intestines.  Hence older women must take frolic acid supplements to fight of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

Women who have hereditary problems like obesity, heart diseases, cancers etc. are usually recommended to take up to 2000 mg of folic acid a day but only if the doctor  recommended to do so. Furthermore, women need not worry about processed foods that are fortified by folic acid as there has not been any evidence to show the health risks associated with folic acid fortification. So it is safe to consume folic acid fortified bread, pastas, cereals, etc.

Folic acid fortification in foods has been a great success as it has prevented so many birth defects which have made Americans proud of their country as this has generated awareness amongst other countries as well.

More than a decade back there was a public education program started to educate women who were in their child bearing years to start taking 400 mg of folic acid supplements along with a well-balanced healthy diet to prevent future defects in the children they plan to have.

Most people interchange folate with folic acid quite often and although both are water soluble vitamins, folate is the natural form seen in foods but folic acid is the synthetic kind of this vitamin.

The U.S has witnessed a reduction of about 25-50 percent of NTD in babies and hence now focuses on increasing the percentage to 70 percent or more in the next couple of years.

As the famous saying suggests; the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach but what if he did not have a healthy heart then would he still be able to eat what his heart desired. It is a definite NO.

Humans have the genetic potential of living for minimum 110-125 years but today Americans on an average live up to the age of 75 only. The reason being Americans do not eat like they are supposed to be eating and that is by adding supplements to their diets as some nutrients are just not enough when the body produces them after consuming foods that contain them.

People live by this saying that humans live on the basis of what they eat but some believe that humans live on the basis of what their body absorbs. The latter makes sense because not everything that you eat is healthy for the body but what is in it that will make a difference. So the right amount of minerals and vitamins in foods will help you remain healthy.

Folic acid is not only needed and beneficial for women but has its own benefits on men too. Boys between the ages of 9 to 13 should consume 300 mg of folic acid every day. For boys and men above 13 must consume 400 mg of folic acid. If the food consumed is less than 300-400 mg of folic acid then men must take folic acid in supplements or take multivitamin tablets to compensate for the less amount of B9 (folic acid) needed for a day.

The folic acid benefits for men are that it reduces the blood levels of amino acid homocysteine which prevents strokes and other heart diseases. Doctors also believe that folic acid can prevent Alzheimers, control depression, control the risk of cancer, and importantly when folic acid is combined with zinc sulfate it increases the sperm count in men. Furthermore, frolic acid also controls hair loss and premature balding in men.

Folic acid is a protective agent that protects humans from DNA cells that create problems. Also, there were studies and researches being done to check if folic acid has an effect on reducing risks of asthma and allergies and there is a recommendation that if people continue with their daily requirement of 400 mg of folic acid in supplements and diet form can help those with asthma and allergy problems.

Folic acid is out there, commonly found in multi vitamins, processed foods, beans, nuts, leafy green vegetables, citrus foods etc. Folic acid also helps in the growth of tissues and help cells work properly. Less consumption of folic acid can cause body defects such as anemia, poor growth, mouth ulcers, and swollen tongue. Especially in infants the defects can be more severe.

When too much is taken not much harm is caused; however, that does not mean you  over dose yourself as chances are you might get cancer but if too little of folic acid is taken then bodily defects and illnesses are bound to happen and be noticed.

Hence foods with high content of folic acid in them are; beans, legumes, citrus fruits, citrus juices, whole grain products, wheat bran, leafy vegetables that are dark green, eggs, pork, liver, yeast extract, spinach, and shellfish must be taken regularly to keep your body safe from folic acid deficiency.

There is enough proof to show women who take folic acid supplements before and during their first trimester of pregnancy can prevent their baby being born with neutrality defects (Spinal Bifida & Neural Tube Defects).

In order for our bodies to produce and maintain new cells folic acid is needed especially the red blood cells. It also helps nerve cells to function adequately. Although too much of it can lead to cancer, just enough of it can also prevent DNA cells that cause cancer.

Folic acid belongs to the family of B vitamins. To be precise it is vitamin B9. It foliates on the natural forms found in foods such as orange juice, citrus fruits, green vegetables, beans, broccoli, asparagus, lentils and more. Folic acid is just one part in the folic family and most believe it is a synthetic substance.

There have been many debates on this subject of folic acid being natural or synthetic but no legitimate conclusion has come out of it. Nevertheless, whatever may be the conclusion; folic acid is a must to a human’s body to remain healthy.

Folic acid is also found in abundance in processed foods particularly flour. Almost for two decades the whole flour supply has been fortified by folic acid supplements, which is good as it helps prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in infants. The NTD birth defect is most commonly found in the United States.

Therefore, in the year of 1996 FDA (Food and Drug Administration) passed a rule in the U.S that flour products such as bread, cereals, pastas, grains etc. be fortified with folic acid to prevent further NTD birth defects.

Nevertheless, after this regulation was passed the results have shown that fortifying food products does indeed have an effect as data collected has proved that NTD birth defects have reduced by 25-50 percent in the last few years.

In addition, it is also advised that women planning to have children must take 400 mg of folic acid every day before and during pregnancy to avoid NTDs.

Folic acid is a very simple molecule, it is less expensive, very stable and gives processed foods a good shelf life but the bad thing about too much of folic acid is it gets fully absorbed easily into our bodies, which might sound good to many as they think any nutrient that is fully absorbed by the body is beneficial for them; however, that is not true in the case of B9 as the body has to release more enzymes to work on this fully absorbed folic acid and most times these folic acids are moving around in the body as they were not metabolized and then this can slowly reduce the natural killer cells which are very important to prevent cancer.

Hence anything too much is always bad even in the case of water, so where is folic acid when you compare it to water.