What is Folic Acid

Folic acid supplements are recommended by doctors when you are preparing to get pregnant or when you are just pregnant, but many women do not know much about what folic acid is or what it does. This article focuses on what you need to know about folic acid.

What is folic acid

Folic acid consists of pteridine, p-aminobenzoic acid and L-glutamic acid, also known as vitamin B9, is a water-soluble multivitamin that is abundant in fresh fruits, vegetables and meat foods. Natural folic acid is extremely unstable and susceptible to oxidation by sunlight, temperature, and acidic environments, and the body's utilization of folic acid is relatively low, generally between 40-50%, so the body does not really get much folic acid from food.

What is folic acid for?

1. Folic acid is a substance necessary for the body to use sugar and amino acids, and is essential for cell growth and reproduction. It plays an important role in the division and growth of cells and the synthesis of nucleic acids, amino acids and proteins. It can promote the metabolism of proteins and promote the production and maturation of red blood cells together with vitamin B12. Lack of folic acid in the body can lead to abnormal red blood cells and an increase in immature cells, causing anemia and a decrease in white blood cells. 2. Folic acid is an indispensable nutrient for fetal growth and development. Lack of folic acid in pregnant women may lead to low birth weight, cleft lip and palate, heart defects, etc. If folic acid is deficient during the first 3 months of pregnancy, it can also cause defects in the development of the fetal neural tube, which can lead to malformations. Therefore, women who are preparing for pregnancy can start taking 100 mcg to 300 mcg of folic acid daily before they become pregnant.

Is folic acid acid or alkaline

Folic acid is an acidic, alkaline food. In vitro, folic acid is acidic when tested with an acid-base indicator and is an organic acid, therefore it is an acid. However, in the body, it can be completely oxidized without residue and will not cause acidic body, so it is an alkaline food, which is similar to vinegar.

Where is folic acid extracted from?

Natural folic acid is widely found in animal and plant foods, especially in yeast, liver and green leafy vegetables. Synthetic folic acid was initially extracted from liver leachate and produced by synthetic methods. The traditional route of folic acid synthesis is to use nitrobenzoic acid as raw material through chlorination, condensation, reduction and cyclization. This process is long, with low yield and high production cost. The reaction of tetramethoxypropanol and p-aminobenzoyl-L-glutamic acid with triaminopyrimidine sulfate was used as the main raw material to produce folic acid with a total yield of 75% and purity of 98%.