Summary: Folic acid is a nutrient that pregnant women need to supplement. The human body cannot produce it on its own and needs to supplement it by taking folic acid from food. So, do you know the key points of correctly supplementing folic acid? Let’s take a look. Folic acid is a nutrient that pregnant women need to supplement. The human body cannot produce it on its own, so it needs to be supplemented with folic acid in food. So, do you know the key points of correctly supplementing folic acid? Let’s take a look.
Five Key Points to Correctly Supplementing Folic Acid
1. Look for foods containing folic acid
These foods contain folic acid:
Green vegetables: lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, greens, asparagus, cauliflower, rape, cabbage, lentils, beans, mushrooms, etc.
Fresh fruits: oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, peaches, plums, apricots, bayberries, crabapples, jujubes, hawthorns, pomegranates, grapes, kiwis, strawberries, pears, walnuts, etc.
Animal food: animal liver, kidney, poultry and eggs, such as pork liver, chicken, beef, mutton, etc.
Beans, nuts, soybeans, soy products, walnuts, cashews, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc.
Cereal barley, rice bran, wheat germ, brown rice, etc.
2. Parents-to-be put on makeup together
Pregnant mothers are sometimes careless in the early stages of pregnancy and are not sure whether they are pregnant, and may miss the best time to supplement folic acid.
Some experts suggest that women who may be pregnant or planning to have a baby should pay attention to supplementing folic acid every day to avoid being caught off guard when the baby comes to \”check in.\” For men who are preparing to become fathers, insufficient folic acid will reduce the concentration of semen and may also lead to abnormal sperm chromosome segregation, which will put the future baby at high risk of serious diseases.
Expectant fathers and expectant mothers, don’t forget to supplement with folic acid!
3. Supplement with 600 mg per day
The total amount of folic acid in the human body is about 5-6 mg, but the human body cannot synthesize folic acid on its own and can only ingest and digest it from food.
The baby continues to grow and develop in the mother\’s body, and the mother\’s folic acid is delivered to him through the placenta. As the placental tissue and uterus continue to develop, the need for folic acid increases. Without conscious supplementation, folate levels can decrease.
Experts believe that pregnant mothers need to supplement 600-800 micrograms of folic acid every day to meet their baby\’s growth needs and their own needs.
4. Critical period for folic acid supplementation
During the fetal period, the brain develops earliest and fastest; the first trimester (3-6 weeks) is a critical period for the growth and development of the fetal central nervous system.
At the end of the fourth week of pregnancy, the embryo forms a primitive brain vesicle. Although the fetus is only about 3 centimeters long at the 8th week and weighs more than2 grams, but at this time, brain cells proliferate rapidly and are most susceptible to teratogenic factors. Influence. If you supplement folic acid at this critical time, the risk of fetal neural tube can be reduced by 50%-70%.
5. Folic acid cannot be taken randomly
1) Long-term use of folic acid will interfere with the zinc metabolism of pregnant mothers. Once zinc intake is insufficient, it will affect the development of the fetus.
2) It is best for pregnant mothers to take folic acid preparations under the guidance of a doctor. Currently, the only folic acid supplement on the market approved by the national health department for the prevention of fetal neural tube defects is \”Quad\” tablets, each containing 400 micrograms.
3) If a woman has given birth to a baby with a neural tube defect, it is best to go to the hospital for examination when she becomes pregnant again, and follow the doctor\’s advice to increase her daily folic acid intake until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
4) Long-term use of birth control pills, anticonvulsants, etc. before pregnancy may interfere with the metabolism of folic acid and other vitamins. Women who plan to become pregnant are best to stop taking the drug 6 months before pregnancy and supplement vitamins such as folic acid.
Dangers of folic acid deficiency in pregnant women
Pre-pregnant women typically need 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. It can be harmful if pregnant women don\’t get enough folic acid during this period. Folic acid deficiency in early pregnancy can lead to fetal malformations and defects in fetal neural tube development, thereby increasing the incidence of anencephaly and spina bifida. In addition, it can also cause early spontaneous abortion.
In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, folic acid deficiency makes pregnant women prone to placental abruption, gestational hypertension, and megaloblastic anemia: fetuses are prone to intrauterine growth retardation, premature delivery, and low birth weight. The intellectual development of such fetuses will be affected after birth due to growth retardation. Influence. Therefore, pregnant women who are deficient in folic acid should supplement their intake in time.