What are the benefits of taking folic acid?

Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells, and also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer. As a medication, folic acid is used to treat folic acid deficiency and certain types of anemia (lack of red blood cells) caused by folic acid deficiency.
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What happens when you take folic acid everyday?

If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before she is pregnant, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain and spine. These birth defects are neural tube defects or NTDs. Women need to take folic acid every day, starting before they are pregnant to help prevent NTDs.
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What are the side effects of taking folic acid?

When taken by mouth: It is likely safe for most people to take folic acid in doses of no more than 1 mg daily. Doses higher than 1 mg daily may be unsafe. These doses might cause stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, irritability, confusion, behavior changes, skin reactions, seizures, and other side effects.
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When should I take folic acid morning or night?

If you are taking folic acid every day, take it at the same time each day, either in the morning OR in the evening. Take your folic acid tablets with a glass of water. You can take folic acid with or without food. If you forget to take your dose, take it as soon as you remember.
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Does folic acid cause weight gain?

There is no evidence that people with adequate blood levels of folic acid will gain weight if they take supplements. However, weight loss is one possible side effect of a folate deficiency.
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Benefits of having folic acid supplements before conceiving- Dr. Nupur Sood



Does folic acid grow hair?

According to Dr Chaturvedi, folic acid helps to promote hair growth, add volume and even reduce the rate of premature greying—it does so by amping up the body's cell production processes. “If you're deficient in folate, taking supplements may result in the growth of new hair in some patients,” Dr Gupta agrees.
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What medications should not be taken with folic acid?

Possible interactions include:
  • Anticonvulsants. Taking folic acid with fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) or primidone (Mysoline) might decrease the drug's concentration in your blood.
  • Barbiturates. ...
  • Methotrexate (Trexall). ...
  • Pyrimethamine (Daraprim).
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Who needs folic acid?

CDC urges all women of reproductive age to take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day, in addition to consuming food with folate from a varied diet, to help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).
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What are the symptoms of low folic acid?

Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia can cause a wide range of symptoms. These usually develop gradually, but can worsen if the condition goes untreated.
  • extreme tiredness (fatigue)
  • lack of energy (lethargy)
  • breathlessness.
  • feeling faint.
  • headaches.
  • pale skin.
  • noticeable heartbeats (palpitations)
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How long does it take for folic acid to work?

Folic acid usually starts to work in a few hours. But if you're taking it for folate deficiency anaemia, it may be a few weeks before you start to feel better.
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How long should you take folic acid?

You're advised to take a daily supplement of folic acid for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. If you want to continue beyond this, that's fine. You can also continue to have a diet rich in folic acid (and other good baby-growing nutrients) by eating fresh green leafy vegetables.
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Can I take folic acid even im not pregnant?

Most women should be getting 400mg of folic acid every day, even when not pregnant. While much of the conversation focuses on ensuring a woman's body can provide essential nutrients for a fetus during pregnancy, research suggests that folic acid benefits aren't limited to fetal development.
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Is vitamin B12 and folic acid the same?

Vitamin B12 is an especially important vitamin for maintaining healthy nerve cells, and it helps in the production of DNA and RNA, the body's genetic material. Vitamin B12 works closely with vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid, to help make red blood cells and to help iron work better in the body.
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Can I take B12 and folic acid together?

No interactions were found between folic acid and Vitamin B12. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
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What causes lack of folic acid?

A diet low in fresh fruits, vegetables, and fortified cereals is the main cause of folate deficiency. In addition, overcooking your food can sometimes destroy the vitamins. Folate levels in your body can become low in just a few weeks if you don't eat enough folate-rich foods.
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Can I take folic acid and multivitamin together?

The benefit of folic acid oral supplementation or dietary folate intake combined with a multivitamin/micronutrient supplement is an associated decrease in neural tube defects and perhaps in other specific birth defects and obstetrical complications.
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What food contains folic acid?

Good sources include:
  • broccoli.
  • brussels sprouts.
  • leafy green vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, spring greens and spinach.
  • peas.
  • chickpeas and kidney beans.
  • liver (but avoid this during pregnancy)
  • breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid.
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Can low folic acid cause weight gain?

Furthermore, folate deficiency may lead to body weight gain and adiposity [12]. Several studies has indicated a link between low folate intake or low serum folate concentration and greater body mass, BMI, overall fat accumulation, and higher waist circumference [13,14,15,16].
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Does folic acid affect sleep?

Thus, we conclude that folic acid supplementation could be used to effectively counteract sleep deprivation-induced telomere dysfunction and the associated aging phenotype, which may potentially improve the prognosis of sleeplessness disorder patients.
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Can vitamin D and folic acid be taken together?

No interactions were found between folic acid and Vitamin D3.
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How much folic acid should a 65 year old woman take?

The recommendation for 400 μg/day of supplemental folic acid as part of a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, in addition to a folate-rich diet, is especially important for older adults because blood homocysteine levels tend to increase with age.
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Can folic acid help with weight loss?

Our results suggest that excess folic acid may exacerbate weight gain, fat accumulation, and inflammation caused by consumption of a HF diet.
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Does folic acid give you energy?

Vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid, is one of 8 B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy.
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Can low folic acid cause GREY hair?

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of prematurely graying hair. Researchers have noted that vitamin B-12 deficiencies are often concurrent with folic acid and biotin deficiencies in people whose hair has started to turn gray early.
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Can I take folic acid and vitamin B complex together?

No interactions were found between folic acid and Vitamin B Complex 100. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
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