Powered by
Medthical.com
  • Health Conditions
    • Auto-immune diseases >
      • Addison's Disease
      • Anti-phospholipid Syndrome
      • Celiac Disease
      • Guillain-Barre Syndrome
      • Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP)
      • Multiple Sclerosis
      • Myasthenia gravis
      • Psoriasis
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis
      • Scleroderma
      • Sjogren's syndrome
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
      • Vitiligo
    • Cancer >
      • Anal Cancer
      • Colon Cancer
      • Colon Cancer Screening
      • Esophageal Cancer
      • Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
      • Hereditary NonPolyposis Colorectal Cancer
      • Liver Cancer
      • Oropharyngeal cancer
      • Ovarian Cancer
      • Penile Cancer
      • Prostate cancer
      • Vaginal Cancer
    • Digestive Diseases >
      • Anal Cancer
      • Colon cancer
      • Esophageal Cancer
      • Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
    • Female Diseases >
      • Bacteria Vaginosis
      • Candidiasis (Yeast)
      • Cervical Cancer
      • Female infertility
      • Oral Contraceptive Pills
      • Ovarian Cancer
      • Ovarian Cyst
      • Ovarian Torsion
      • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
      • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
      • Premature Ovarian Failure
      • Vaginal Cancer
    • Heart Cardiovascular Diseases >
      • Hyperlipidemia ( High Cholesterol)
    • Hematological diseases >
      • G6PD Deficiency (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase)
    • Infectious Diseases >
      • Ebola
      • Giardiasis
      • Hepatitis A
      • Hepatitis B
      • Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
      • Influenza
      • Japanese encephalitis
      • Malaria
      • Meningococcal Disease
      • Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
      • Pneumococcal disease
      • Rabies
      • Rotavirus
      • Shingles (Zoster)
      • Tetanus
      • Tuberculosis
      • Typhoid
      • Varicella (Chickenpox)
      • Yellow Fever
      • Zika Virus
    • Male Diseases >
      • Epididymo-Orchitis
      • Penile Cancer
      • Prostatitis
    • Musculo-skeletal diseases >
      • Ankylosing Spondylitis
      • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    • Neurological disorder >
      • Restless Leg Syndrome
    • Respiratory diseases >
      • Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
      • Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis
      • Tuberculosis
    • Skin diseases >
      • Acne Vulgaris
      • Alopecia
      • Bullous Pemphigoid
      • Dermatitis
      • Eczema
      • Hyperhidrosis
      • Cervical Cancer
      • Laser & Aesthetic
      • Lichen
      • Moles & Skin Lumps
      • Nail Disorders
      • Pityriasis
      • Psoriasis
      • Rosacae
      • Scabies, Bedbugs & Lice
      • Skin Cancer
      • Skin Infection
      • Skin Pigmentation
      • Tinea (Fungal) infection
      • Urticaria
      • Vitiligo
    • Sexually Transmitted Diseases >
      • Bacteria Vaginosis
      • Candidiasis (Yeast)
      • Chlamydia
      • Chancroid
      • Epididymo-Orchitis
      • Genital Warts
      • Gonorrhoea
      • Granuloma Inguinale
      • Herpes Simplex Virus
      • HIV/AIDS
      • Lymphogranuloma Venereum
      • Molluscum Contagiosum
      • MSM STD screening
      • Pediculosis Pubis
      • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
      • Prostatitis
      • Syphilis
      • Trichomoniasis
      • WSW STD Screening
    • Sleep Disorders >
      • Restless Leg Syndrome
    • Urinary Tract Diseases >
      • Kidney Stones
  • Supplements
    • Acai Berry
    • Aloe Vera
    • Alpha-Lipoic Acid
    • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • Barley Grass
    • Beta-Carotene
    • Biotin
    • Calcium
    • Chlorophyll
    • Chondroitin
    • Chromium
    • Coenzyme Q10
    • Cordyceps
    • Cranberry
    • Creatine
    • Deer Velvet
    • DHEA
    • Echinacea
    • Elderberry
    • Evening Primrose
    • Fiber
    • Flaxseed
    • Folic Acid
    • Ginger
    • Ginkgo
    • Ginseng
    • Glucosamine
    • Grape Seed
    • Hawthorn
    • Horny Goat Weed
    • Krill Oil
    • Lactobacillus
    • Manuka Honey
    • Milk Thistle
    • MSM
    • Niacin
    • Omega-3
    • Probiotics
    • Red Yeast
    • Reishi mushroom
    • Royal Jelly
    • Selenium
    • St. John's Wort
    • Tumeric
    • Vitamin A
    • Vitamin B12
    • Vitamin C
    • Vitamin D
    • Vitamin E
    • Vitamin K
    • Zinc
  • Vaccinations
    • BCG vaccine
    • Cholera vaccine
    • DTaP Vaccine
    • Haemophilus Influenzae Vaccine
    • Hepatitis A vaccine
    • Hepatitis B vaccine
    • HPV vaccine
    • Influenza vaccine
    • Japanese encephalitis Vaccine
    • Meningococcal Vaccine
    • Pneumococcal vaccine
    • Rabies Vaccine
    • Rotavirus vaccine
    • Shingles Vaccine
    • Tetanus Vaccine
    • Typhoid vaccine
    • Varicella Vaccine
    • Yellow Fever Vaccine
  • Healthy Lifestyle
    • Eating Right
    • Exercise Right
    • Goodnight Sleep
    • Manage Stress Well
  • SG Health Institutions
    • GP Groups
    • Help-Lines
    • Specialized Medical Centers
    • Nursing Homes
    • Polyclinics
    • Community Hospitals
    • Hospices
    • Private Hospitals
    • Public Hospitals
  • Terms of Use
Folic Acid

What is it?

Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin B. It is found in many foods like mushrooms, yeast, beans, beef, kidney, fruits (lemons, tomato, melons, bananas, and oranges) and also vegetables like spinach, lettuce, asparagus and   lettuce.

Folic acid is highly important for many body functions, proper development of body components and also in the production of genetic DNA component of cells.  

Benefits

Studies have found that folic acid is definitely needed for those who have folic acid deficiency anemia, lower homocysteine levels in those with severe kidney disease/hyperhomocysteinemia, to reduce side effects for rheumatoid arthritis patients taking methotrexate and also to reduce neural tube defects in woman planning to conceive.

Some other studies have also found that folic acid may also be beneficial to reduce risk of colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, gum diseases, treating vitiligo and also macular degeneration.

There are currently insufficient evidence based studies that prove its effectiveness in certain conditions like cardiac diseases, stroke, fragile-X syndrome, Alzheimer disease, male infertility, cervical cancer, lung cancer, cancer as a result of ulcerative colitis, restless leg syndrome, liver diseases and osteoporosis.

Possible side effects

Folic acid is generally safe for most people when taken up to recommended dose of 400 mcg daily. However at much higher doses some may experience side effects like abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, stomach upset, sleep disorders, irritability, confusion behavior changes, rash, seizures and excitability.

There is some studies that find that taking too high doses of folic acid like 800-1200 mcg may increase risk of heart attack in cardiac patients and increase risk of lung and prostate cancers.

Drug-drug interactions

1.         Anti-Seizure medications: Folic acid increases the breakdown of anti-seizure medications like phenytoin, phenobarbitone, primidone and fosphenytoin hence reduces its effectiveness and increases risk of seizures.

2.         Pyrimethamine: Folic acid increases the breakdown of pyrimethamine which is an anti-parasite medications making it less effective.

Dosage

The adequate intakes (AI) for everyone daily by age is as follows :

Infants 0-6 months: 65 mcg

Infants 7-12 months: 80 mcg for of age.

Children 1-3 years: 150 mcg

Children 4-8 years: 200 mcg

Children 9-13 years: 300 mcg

Adults over 13 years: 400 mcg

Pregnant women: 600 mcg

Breast-feeding women: 500 mcg.

Medically indicated dosage of folic acid supplements as below:

For reducing colon cancer risk: 400 mcg per day.

For preventing neural tube defects: at least 400 mcg of folic acid per day before conceiving till 3 months pregnant. For women with a history of baby with neural tube defects usually take 4 mg per day beginning one month before and continuing for three months after conception.

For folic acid deficiency: 250-1000 mcg per day.

For end-stage renal disease to treat high homocysteine levels : 0.8-15 mg/day have been used. Other dosage plans are 2.5-5 mg 3 times weekly have also been used. Doses higher than 15 mg daily are not anymore effective.

For treating hyperhomocysteine: 0.5-5 mg (milligrams)/day although 0.8-1 mg/day appears to be more effective.

For reduction of toxicity associated with methotrexate therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriasis patients: 1 mg/day is probably enough up to maximum of 5 mg/day

For vitiligo: 5 mg is typically taken twice daily.

For preventing macular degeneration: folic acid 2.5 mg, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 1000 mcg, and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 50 mg daily.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.