PakMediNet Discussion Forum : Medical Education inside Pakistan : Folic Acid 
Folic Acid
AA
It is said that Folic acid greatly reduces the risk of genetic diseases, if it is used by mother during pregnancy.
what are the natural sources of folic acid??
or it is better to use it in tablet form
regards
aftab
Posted by: aftabacPosts: 271 :: 15-12-2007 ::
Re: Folic AcidAlmost all kinds of fruits and vegetables are good source of folic acid.
Posted by: yasirPosts: 90 :: 15-12-2007 ::
Re: Folic AcidAre you asking about genetic diseases or congenital malformations?
Posted by: rqayyumPosts: 199 :: 15-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Folic Acid
Well
i am asking about the genetic diseases, and can anyone would like to explain that how Folic acid reduces the chances of getting genetic diseases, what it its mechanism of action.
regards
aftab
Posted by: aftabacPosts: 271 :: 16-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Folic AcidWhich genetic disease (or diseases) you are talking about? Can you please elaborate?
Posted by: rqayyumPosts: 199 :: 16-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Re: Folic Acid
Here's a tiny cut and paste: Folic Acid
What you need to know:
Folic acid, a B vitamin, helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when taken very early in pregnancy. It is available in most multivitamins, as a folic acid-only supplement and in some foods.
Some studies suggest that folic acid may also protect women and men from stroke, colon cancer and breast cancer.
What you can do:
Take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day before pregnancy and during early pregnancy, as part of a healthy diet.
Eat a healthy diet that includes foods that contain folate, the natural form of the vitamin. Such foods include fortified breakfast cereals, dried beans, leafy green vegetables and orange juice.
If you have already had a pregnancy affected by a birth defect of the brain or spinal cord, ask your health care provider how much folic acid you need. Studies have shown that taking a larger dose of folic acid daily can reduce the risk of having another affected pregnancy. The larger dose needs to be taken at least one month before pregnancy and in the first trimester of pregnancy. The recommended dose is 4 milligrams (4,000 micrograms). Take Folic Acid Before You're Pregnant.
What Is Folic Acid and Why Does Your Baby Need it?
Folic acid is a naturally occurring B vitamin that helps a baby's neural tube—the part of a developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord—develop properly. It must be taken before and during early pregnancy when the neural tube is developing.
The best way to get enough folic acid is to take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid in it and eat a healthy diet. Most multivitamins have this amount, but check the label to be sure. You also can get folic acid in your diet, but it's hard to get enough every day through food alone. That's why the March of Dimes encourages all women of childbearing age to take a multivitamin containing folic acid every day as part of a healthy diet.
Folic acid works, but it only works if taken before and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, when the neural tube is developing into the brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube does not close properly, a baby is born with a very serious birth defect called a neural tube defect (NTD). About 3,000 pregnancies are affected by NTDs each year in the United States. If all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, up to 70 percent of NTDs could be prevented.
Folic acid has no known toxic level. If you ate a bowl of fully fortified cereal (400 micrograms), took a folic acid supplement (400 micrograms), and ate fortified foods and foods rich in folate, you would not get too much folic acid. Even in very high amounts, folic acid is non-toxic. Still, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that women consume no more than 1,000 micrograms of synthetic folic acid a day
Folic Acid in Foods
Folic acid is found in the following foods:
* Fortified breakfast cereals such as Total and Product 19
* Lentils
* Asparagus
* Spinach
* Black beans
* Peanuts (only if you do not have a peanut allergy)
* Orange juice (from concentrate is best)
* Enriched breads and pasta
* Romaine lettuce
* Broccoli
Posted by: chameedPosts: 173 :: 17-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Folic Acid
AA
Thanks for giving detail about folic acid. i think people in Pakistan, especially doctors should prescribe it during pregnancy so we can prevent many genetic diseases in Pakistan.
regards
aftab
Posted by: aftabacPosts: 271 :: 17-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Folic AcidAftab, I thought you were asking about genetic diseases and not congenital defects (as you had responded earlier). I am sure that you are aware of the difference between congenital defects (non-hereditary) and genetic diseases (transmitted from one generation to another). Do you know any genetic diseases caused by decreased folic acid intake?
Posted by: rqayyumPosts: 199 :: 18-12-2007 ::
Re: Folic Acid
Congenital defect simply means that a person was born with an abnormality. Whether that abnormality is genetic or not, is decided later on, based on further evaluation. Genetic defect simply means that somewhere along the line of development, chromosomes/genes were affected. All genetic defects are not transmitted from one generation to another and a good example is exposure to radiation.
It has become fashionable to jump on the bandwagon of various unsubstantiated studies and talk about them, in the hallways and elevators, without ever seeing a patient as a clinician. These days it’s the Folic Acid and HPV vaccine, and I remember many others that have come and gone over the past many years that I have been seeing patients. I would caution against the use of Folic Acid in the form of a ‘pill’. Get your daily dose of vitamins from natural resources.
Posted by: chameedPosts: 173 :: 18-12-2007 ::
Re: Folic Acid
I believe there is a difference between genetic defect and a genetic disease as not all genetic defects lead to genetic diseases while all genetic diseases are due to genetic defects. The distinction is important; another example is that all cancers are due to genetic defects while only some cancers are ‘genetic diseases’. In a broader sense, yes genetic diseases are due to genetic defects as are all (or almost all) diseases due to chemical imbalance.
I interpret Aftab’s question in two ways (as he has presented it):
1. Are there any genetic diseases (or genetic defects) caused by low folic acid intake?
2. Are there any genetic diseases (or genetic defects) that can be prevented by increased folic acid intake?
I don’t have answer to any of these two questions; I was hoping may be someone else might have an answer.
Posted by: rqayyumPosts: 199 :: 18-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Re: Folic Acid
Posted by: HussainA Posts: 34 :: 18-12-2007
“Several observational and controlled trials have shown that neural tube defects can be reduced by 80% or more when folic acid SUPPLEMENTATION is started before conception. In countries like the United States and Canada, the policy of widespread fortification of flour with folic acid has proved effective in reducing the number of neural tube defects.
One of the References: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic802.htm”
Nice job. You just proved my point of jumping on the bandwagon without any clinical knowledge or experience in medicine or the ability to interpret the literature.
[Edited by chameed on 19-12-2007 at 12:10 PM GMT]
Posted by: chameedPosts: 173 :: 19-12-2007 ::
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Folic Acid
Several observational and controlled trials have shown that neural tube defects can be reduced by 80% or more when folic acid SUPPLEMENTATION is started before conception. In countries like the United States and Canada, the policy of widespread fortification of flour with folic acid has proved effective in reducing the number of neural tube defects.
On of the References: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic802.htm
Posted by: HussainA (Guest) :: 19-12-2007 ::