Many people now know that expectant mothers should supplement folic acid before pregnancy. Pregnant mothers taking 0.4 mg of folic acid tablets daily during pregnancy preparation can reduce the rate of fetal neural tube defects by 85%. This result has been widely used in more than 50 countries around the world.
Folic acid can promote the maturation of young cells in the bone marrow. Folic acid deficiency in humans can cause macrocytic anemia and leukopenia, which is especially important for pregnant women. It is a water-soluble B vitamin. Pregnant women’s demand for folic acid is 4 times higher than that of normal people. The first trimester of pregnancy is a critical period for the differentiation of fetal organ systems and the formation of the placenta. Cell growth and division are very vigorous. Folic acid deficiency at this time can lead to fetal malformations. In China, the incidence rate of neural tube malformations is about 0.38‰, including anencephaly, spina bifida, etc.
In addition, a lack of folic acid may also cause spontaneous abortion in early pregnancy. In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, in addition to fetal growth and development, the mother\’s blood volume, breasts, and placenta development increase the demand for folic acid. With insufficient folic acid, pregnant women are prone to placental abruption, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and megaloblastic anemia. Fetuses are prone to intrauterine growth retardation, premature delivery, and low birth weight. Moreover, the growth and intellectual development of such fetuses after birth will be affected. Influence.
Nowadays, most expectant mothers start to supplement folic acid during pregnancy preparation and pregnancy, but few people know that expectant fathers should also supplement folic acid. Why is this?
A research team from the University of California said that men who take folic acid and regularly eat foods rich in folic acid such as green leafy vegetables are less likely to have sperm abnormalities. The report also stated that men who consumed more folic acid had a much lower probability of \”aneuploidy\” in their sperm than men who consumed less folic acid. Men with the highest 25% intake of folic acid, whose daily intake ranged from 722 to 1,150 micrograms, were 20% to 30% less likely to have aneuploidy in their sperm than men with lower intakes. Aneuploidy in sperm can lead to infertility, or lead to miscarriage with a probability of up to 1/3, or cause newborns to suffer from Down syndrome and other rare chromosomal diseases. The research team estimates that about 1% to 4% of healthy men\’s sperm contain aneuploidy, but there are differences between individuals. The current recommended folic acid intake in the United States for adult men over 19 years of age is 400 micrograms per day. Men who want to be fathers should also take more. Taking in more folic acid can reduce the proportion of sperm with chromosomal abnormalities.
Among the sperm of a healthy man, 4% have chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomal abnormalities in sperm may lead to infertility, miscarriage and congenital malignancy in babies. Researchers found that men who consumed 722 to 1,150 milligrams of folic acid per day had a significantly lower proportion of sperm with chromosomal abnormalities than men with low folic acid intake.
Folic acid is mostly found in leafy vegetables, fruits, beans and other foods. There are many foods containing folic acid, but because folic acid is unstable when exposed to light or heat and easily loses activity, the human body cannot really obtain much folic acid from food. For example, 50% to 70% of folic acid will be lost after vegetables are stored for 2 to 3 days. Cooking methods such as soup will cause 50% to 95% of folic acid in food to be lost. Vegetables soaked in salt water will also lose a lot of folic acid. Therefore, as an expectant father, especially a man who has a partial eclipse all year round and consumes less of this type of food, I still recommend taking folic acid with the expectant mother during pregnancy preparation.
Green vegetables
Aloe vera, lettuce, spinach, asparagus, Broccoli, rape, cabbage, green vegetables, lentils, pea pods, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, mushrooms, etc. It is worth mentioning that the folic acid content of aloe vera is 85-120 micrograms/100 grams, which can be said to be the highest content among green vegetables. However, due to the large differences in the aging degree of aloe vera and the different discard rates, it is recommended to purchase fresh aloe vera. Eat it as soon as possible, and cook it in a microwave, stir-fry or blanche to maintain its nutritional value; broccoli has a folic acid content of 120 micrograms/100 grams, is extremely low in calories and has high fiber, making it the best choice for food preparation during pregnancy; The folic acid content of carrots is 67 micrograms/100 grams. It is also rich in carotene and has antioxidant activity.
Fresh fruits
Oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, Peaches, plums, apricots, bayberries, crabapples, jujubes, hawthorns, pomegranates, grapes, kiwis, pears, walnuts, apples, etc. Among them, kiwi contains up to 8% folic acid, with a content of 30 micrograms/100 grams. It is known as a \”natural folic acid supplement\”. The fruit not only contains more folic acid, but its rich vitamin C can also stabilize folic acid and improve the human body. Absorption and utilization efficiency, have complementary effects.
Animal food
Animal liver, kidney, poultry meat and eggs categories, such as pork liver, beef, mutton, chicken, egg yolk, milk, etc. Among them, the folate content of liver is 80 micrograms/100 grams, which can be said to be the most folic acid-containing of all meat foods.It is a high-quality food, but it has high cholesterol. People with cardiovascular diseases need to pay special attention to it. The folic acid content in egg yolk is 121 micrograms/100 grams, but its cholesterol content is high. It is recommended that its folic acid content be included in the scope of additional supplements. It is not advisable to eat egg yolks as the sole source of folic acid intake. The folic acid content in milk is 20 micrograms/100 ml, and it also contains a large amount of calcium.
Beans, nuts
Soybeans, soy products, walnuts ( Including walnut oil), cashews, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc.
Cereals
Whole wheat flour, barley, rice bran, wheat germ , brown rice, etc. The folic acid content in oats is 190 micrograms/100 grams. It is a cereal with high nutritional content. Oats are also rich in B vitamins, which can help the growth of the fetus. It is generally recommended to make porridge or mix it with white rice. All are good ways to consume.
Although there are many foods containing folic acid, folic acid also has many natural enemies, such as water, sulfa drugs, sunlight, estrogen, food processing methods (especially boiling), high temperatures, sleeping pills, aspirin, alcohol, and ultraviolet light. Therefore, the human body cannot really obtain much folic acid from food.
Therefore, the fresh vegetables you buy should not be stored for a long time; they should be washed and cut before cooking, stir-fried and eaten immediately, and eaten in one go. When stir-frying, stir-fry quickly for 3 to 5 minutes; boil The water should be boiled before putting the vegetables in, which can prevent the loss of vitamins; the vegetable juice squeezed out when making stuffing is rich in nutrients and should not be discarded, but can be used to make soup; the rice washing time should not be too long, and it should not be washed with force or hot water. Wash the rice; it is better to stew or steam the rice, but not to cook it, otherwise it will cause a large loss of nutrients; it is not advisable to add alkali when making porridge; when making meat dishes, it is best to cut the meat into mince, thin strips or Small thin slices should be stir-fried over high heat. Large pieces of meat and fish should be simmered in cold water and cooked thoroughly over low heat. It is best not to eat fried foods frequently. Therefore, we need to change some cooking habits to reduce the loss of folic acid as much as possible, and also increase the intake of folic acid-rich foods.
This article is provided by Baidu Reading. It is excerpted from \”Very Good Pregnancy: You Can Get Pregnant by Doing This\” Author: Yu Yue\’e