StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Folate or Folic Acid - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The aim of the essay “Folate or Folic Acid” is to examine the vitamin identified as the essential nutrient that caused pernicious anemia, a potentially fatal disease primarily affecting older adults. Vitamin B12 is absorbed after the stomach acid separates B12 from the protein…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.1% of users find it useful
Folate or Folic Acid
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Folate or Folic Acid"

Download file to see previous pages

Dementia and pernicious anemia can develop and both conditions are reversible if caught early. Common uses of folic acid are to protect against birth defects, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, lower the risk for certain cancers and the alleviation of depression, particularly in elderly people. The occurrence of NTDs in the USA is estimated to have been reduced by 19% following folic acid fortification of grain products in the food supply. The Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for folate for adults is 200 micrograms/day.

 Folic acid is PGA itself, and this form is not present in significant quantities in foods or in the human body. The natural derivatives of PGA found in most foods have a bioavailability of around 50–75 percent, whereas synthetic folic acid used as a food formant and as a dietary supplement is more highly available at around 85 percent. Folates are present in most natural foods. Liver, yeast extract, green leafy vegetables, legumes and some fruits are rich sources. The synthetic form used for folic acid fortification and in folic acid supplements is PGA, and this is more stable than the other forms of the vitamins.

 Because excessive folic acid is understood to exacerbate vitamin B12 deficiency, the upper safe level from fortified foods and supplements has been set at 1000 micrograms/day by the US Institute of Medicine. Similarly, the safe intake of folic acid recommended an upper safe level of 1000 micrograms per day. The occurrence of drug antagonisms by folic acid has been reported at intakes of 5000 micrograms or higher. Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate that is found in supplements and added to fortified foods.

It gets its name from the Latin word "folium" for the leaf. It is a nutrient needed to prevent the anemia of pregnancy.

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Folate or Folic Acid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1520214-should-food-products-be-fortified-with-folic-acid-case-study
(Folate or Folic Acid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1520214-should-food-products-be-fortified-with-folic-acid-case-study.
“Folate or Folic Acid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1520214-should-food-products-be-fortified-with-folic-acid-case-study.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Folate or Folic Acid

Inadequate nutrition and cognitive decline

Quadri et al(2004)further added elevated homocysteine concentration results to folate deficiency that aggravates the early risk factor for cognitive decline in elderly individuals.... This course study will dwell on the subject of age-related cognitive decline and nutrition as a contributing factor....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Folic acid food fortification is associated with a decline in neuroblastoma

Adequate levels of folic acid at the time of conception and in the initial stages of pregnancy have been shown to reduce the incidence of babies developing neural… This paper examines the impact of fortification of food using folic acid and the associated decline in neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is an embryonic tumor of the peripheral nervous system and is the second most common pediatric folic acid food fortification is associated with a decline in neuroblastoma folic acid is essential for healthy cell division and hence is an important nutrient for women of childbearing age....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Analysis of Dietary and Nutritional Status

The paper is aimed to examine and analyze one's own diet to be able identify possible excesses or deficiencies in the health on the basis of the standard dietary and nutritional requirement.... The analysis of a person's diet for a particular period of time can be considered… For that matter, when such data is analyzed certain nutritional imbalances can be determined or predicted....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Folic acid and b12

A lot of information can be learnt from assessing unmetabolized folic acid in serum of individuals for medical purposes (Robert & David 341).... The amount of folic acid in blood is very important in… The level of folic acid in blood can also be used in nutritional studies to determine the nutritional status of individual, especially in alcoholic individuals.... folic acid that has vitamin B is very important in the normal folic acid folic acid is very important in medical and nutritional studies and research....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic

From the paper "Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic" it is clear that folates in human beings really form a group of water-soluble vitamins B that have similar chemical structures to folic acid and are vital for methionine and nucleotide biosynthesis.... folic acid is a water-soluble member of the B-complex family of vitamins.... Although folic acid is the primary form of folate used in dietary supplements or fortified foods, it comprises only 10 per cent or less of folates in the diet....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Folate through Lifecycle Nutrition

One important nutrient for a healthy population that is required since birth is folate.... folate has been established to be critical in prevention of… Various biological mechanisms in the human body also require foliate.... DNA synthesis, amino acids metabolism and Methylation of genes are some of the processes that require folate.... However just like any The required folate intake amount depends on the condition.... folate can be derived mostly in vegetables4....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

The Mechanism of Action of Pharmacology

This is because the human body does not synthesize folic acid but folic acid is a dietary requirement for us.... The paper "The Mechanism of Action of Pharmacology" discusses that the application of electric pulses allows the drugs to enter the membrane of cancer cells which leads to greater efficiency in treatment....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment

Folic Acid in Pregnancy

Fortified cereals are the best sources of folic acid, but some consumers are unable to access appropriate amounts of fortified cereals and folic acid.... Other sources of folic acid IntroductionFolic acid is a B vitamin; it is also known as folate.... Fortified cereals are the best sources of folic acid, but some consumers are unable to access appropriate amounts of fortified cereals and folic acid.... Other sources of folic acid include orange juice, spinach, and kale....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us