not just for pregnancy (Folic Acid)

Member Name: biobaby11

Product:	Folic Acid
Date:	08/07/00 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: it's very hard to have too much folic acid and youshould be getting enough by eating a normal diet. Helps prevent your baby developing neural tube defects

Disadvantages: none

A bit of information for those wondering why doctors always seem to be going on about folic acid...folic acid is important in everyone's every day diet as it is linked to red blood cell formation and therefore deficiency may lead to anaemia. Recent studies have shown that it can also reduce the amount of homocysteine (an amino acid from meat)in your blood and this helps reduce the liklihood or heart disease.
In terms of pregnancy, folic acid is important in early pregnancy to help a baby's seural tube form properly, thus a lack of folic acid leads to an increased risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida (where the neural tube doesn't close) being the most notable. Because this develops in the early weeks, it is recommended that if you are trying to concieve you take a folic acid supplement before hand. However, if you do find out later that you are pregnant, it isn't too late to start! For people who aren't keen on taking supplements, you can increase the amounts of citrus fruits, green vegetables, tomatoes and cereals that you eat and this should have the same effect.
There's a good fact sheet on folic acid at http://www.mothernature.com/ency/Supp/Folic_Acid.a sp and in the case of pregnancy, your GP will know tonnes about it!

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