subject: Importance Of Folate [print this page] Folate is also called as vitamin B9, folacin, and folic acid along with pteroyl-L-glutamic acid and pteroyl-L-glutamate belongs to the forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9. Mostly folate do not remain biologically active with the biological importance due to tetrahydrofolate and several other derivatives after getting converted to dihydrofolic acid in the liver. The folate is important to several numerous bodily functions which ranges from nucleotide biosynthesis to remethylation of homocysteine. Folate is especially not only essential for fast cell division but for growth also. Both children and adults need folate for producing healthy red blood cells and preventing anemia. Folate and folic acid is result of Latin word folium. Leafy vegetables is a major source of folate but in several western diets fortified cereals and bread are the biggest dietary source of folate.
Low diets of folate leads to folate deficiency showing various health problems especially in development of neural tube defecting the embryos. Leafy vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, lettuces, dried and fresh beans and peas, fortified cereal products, sunflower seeds and other fruits and vegetables are known as rich sources of folate. The liver and liver products contains high amounts of folate present in the baker's yeast. Several breakfast cereals are fortified with 25% to 100% as described as dietary allowance for folate. So the table of selected food sources of folate and folic acid consumers can search in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. In this way folate is included in several grain products in many countries. As a result these nations fortified products are maintaining significant source of folate. The difference in bioavailability is present especially between supplemented folate and the varied forms of folate presents in food resulting the dietary folate equivalent system was established. So consumers should know that 1 DFE is labelled as 1 g of dietary folate.
Many biological functions of folate are performed by tetrahydrofolate and many other derivatives. In this way their biological prescence in the body based upon dihydrofolate reductase action in the liver of the body. Consumers will be surprised by the fact that same action is unusually decreses in human beings at least less than 2% compared to rats. As per the studies of the researcher Lucy Wills in 1931 revealed the identification of folate as a nutrient which aids in preventing anemia in cases of pregnancy. In this way Dr. Wills mentions that anemia could be changed with brewer's yeast. Folate was mentioned as the corrective substance in brewer's yeast which was separated in spinach leaves by Mitchell in 1941. in this way consumers should read more about folate for making best usage of folate in daily routine.
