You have recently heard the term “folic acid”.
This is because the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued a notice in 2000 regarding the need for folic acid intake for women of childbearing age.
Vitamins and minerals are recommended to be obtained from the regular diet, but only folic acid should be obtained from supplements.
Let's take a closer look at why folic acid needs to be obtained from supplements in addition to food.

reduce the riskWhat is folic acid?

Folic acid, a B vitamin, is involved in the synthesis of nucleic acids, which are necessary for cell formation, and in the formation of red blood cells.
Early pregnancy (4-12 weeks) is the time when the brain and spinal cord of the fetus are being created, and taking folic acid during this period can reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly.
The period from 4 to 12 weeks of pregnancy is still in the early stages of pregnancy and the mother may not even be aware that she is pregnant! I want to have a baby! If you want to have a baby, you need to take folic acid well before you get pregnant.

Neural tube closure disorder occurs at a rate of about 6 in 10,000 in Japan, but taking folic acid can reduce the risk of this disorder.
In other countries, folic acid has been added to wheat to make it easier to consume and reduce the incidence of this disease. In Japan, however, folic acid is not added to wheat, so the incidence has not decreased.

This series「 #07 Sad experiences 」As I wrote in the previous section, before I became a midwife, I was present at the birth of a child with anencephaly, and it was a truly painful experience. I can only imagine how difficult and painful it must have been for the birth mother, and not just for me.

Neural tube closure disorder is a congenital abnormality in babies that occurs during the process of creating the “neural tube”.
Among neural tube closure disorders, “spina bifida” has a high incidence in Japan.
The spinal cord is protected because it originally runs through the spine, but the nerve canal on the buttock side did not close properly, leaving part of the spinal nerve exposed, a condition known as spina bifida. The nerves are easily damaged, and if damaged, symptoms include difficulty walking due to weakness in the leg muscles, difficulty feeling sensation in the skin, and difficulty controlling urination and bowel movements. With proper treatment and care, the patient can live a healthy life, but complications can be life-threatening, such as loss of kidney function or infection.
Also, if there is a defect in the skin of the back and the nerves are exposed on the outside, surgery to close it immediately after birth is required, but it depends on the severity of the problem.
Anencephaly is the most severe form of neural tube closure, a condition in which the skull and head skin do not form normally, and brain tissue is exposed to amniotic fluid or flows out of the head.
The brain is an organ that plays an important role in sustaining human life. Therefore, it is difficult for anencephalic children to survive, and even if they are able to give birth, they usually die within a few days or weeks of birth.

Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin b group of essential nutrients, but it cannot be produced by the human body. Therefore, it must be obtained from supplements and other dietary supplements.
In 2000, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) issued a notice on “the possibility of reducing the risk of neural tube closure defects in the fetus by taking 400 μg of folic acid per day from dietary supplements, in addition to taking care to consume folic acid in the normal diet for women of childbearing potential,” suggesting the need for folic acid. The need for folic acid has been suggested.

Folic acid, also known as the hematopoietic vitaminHelpful for anemia

Folic acid is also known as the hematopoietic vitamin, and together with vitamin B12, it produces red blood cells. Anemia is often thought of as a lack of iron. But anemia can also be caused by a deficiency of folic acid, which produces red blood cells, a component of blood.
Anemia caused by folic acid deficiency is called pernicious anemia, and pernicious anemia is especially likely to occur during pregnancy because the baby in the belly needs nutrients, so folic acid intake through normal diet alone is likely to be insufficient.

《 Foods high in folic acid 》
Green and yellow vegetables (spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc.) and fruits, but as a precaution, folic acid will break down and lose its components if oxidized by cooking or long-term storage.
Fruits and vegetables should be consumed raw, but the drawback is that many green and yellow vegetables are difficult to eat raw.
Foods that can be consumed raw and are good sources of folic acid include chives, avocados, strawberries, natto, etc.

Must be taken in the correct dosage.Excessive intake of folic acid

So, on the other hand, what happens if you take too much folic acid?
Excessive intake of folic acid may cause symptoms such as fever and urticaria. If you experience any unusual physical symptoms and suspect that you may be taking an excessive amount of folic acid, please be sure to consult your doctor.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has notified us that folic acid intake should not exceed 1 mg (1000 μg) per day.
There is little concern about overdose when taken from food. However, supplemental folic acid has a high absorption rate and is easy to take, so it must be taken in the proper dosage.

Please do not take twice as much the next time you forget to take your folic acid supplement. The supplements themselves are not affected too much if you forget to take them from time to time. The important thing is to keep taking them.

I would like to make good use of supplements and also consume green and yellow vegetables and fruits on a regular basis.