Vitamin B9 YAMAMOTO

Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid, has a wide range of beneficial properties for the body. This vitamin is known for being essential for brain function, but it also plays a crucial role in blood circulation and vision, and influences cell division and the development of genetic material. Folic acid is used in a wide range of treatments for anemia, but also for many other conditions, such as spina bifida, diarrhea, dyspepsia, gastritis, depression, and arthritis.

Physiologically, only a small amount of folic acid is produced by the human body through intestinal flora. The rest of the body's needs must be met through diet, so those at risk of deficiency are strongly advised to consume foods high in folate. However, due to dietary imbalances, various deficiencies, or increased needs, such as during pregnancy, specific folic acid supplements are often necessary.

Unable to synthesize this precious element, the human body requires increased dietary intake. Human folic acid reserves hover around 12-15 mg, which are stored primarily in the liver and are only needed to bridge a few weeks of deficiency that isn't compensated for by the foods we eat. These conditions pose numerous health risks, as they can damage the bone marrow and various highly proliferating tissues. Two main causes of this deficiency are megaloblastic anemia and spina bifida in the unborn child. The former causes an increase in the size of red blood cells, leading to significant mental and physical fatigue. Regarding the latter (which has long been addressed with appropriate preventative therapy in obstetrics), a child affected by this disorder would have a spinal cord that isn't perfectly enclosed within the vertebrae and could suffer serious damage, even to the point of paralysis of the lower limbs. Among the other risks associated with folic acid deficiency is cardiovascular disease, as it is well known that this condition causes an increase in circulating homocysteine levels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Other disorders associated with this deficiency include depression, skin and mucous membrane lesions, developmental and ossification disorders, infertility, mental retardation, and lymphatic atrophy.

It is therefore undeniable that folic acid/vitamin B9 has numerous beneficial properties for the human body, starting with the brain, since this vitamin contributes to its optimal functioning, also protecting it against various pathologies that affect the nervous system.

Folic acid is a molecule involved in the cellular synthesis of proteins, DNA, and hemoglobin. It's important to remember that hemoglobin is the factor that transports oxygen to the body's tissues thanks to iron, so a hemoglobin deficiency would cause anemia. Folic acid deficiencies in adults are primarily manifested by so-called "megaloblastic anemia," which is a lack of iron in hemoglobin and enlarged red blood cells. In these cases, folic acid supplementation provides significant benefits. As mentioned, folic acid helps reduce blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, a warning sign of a potential risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, folic acid supplementation is essential if these levels are elevated as a preventative measure.

During pregnancy, the need for vitamin B9 increases dramatically, and a deficiency can cause serious damage to the fetus. For this reason, pregnant women, in addition to the recommendation to maintain a well-balanced diet, are prescribed a folic acid supplement as a precautionary prophylactic treatment. This supplement, however, becomes essential for proper fetal development, especially for the prevention of certain congenital defects of the neural tube, the structure that will form the nervous system and spinal cord in the early weeks of pregnancy, such as spina bifida (the spinal cord develops two endings instead of one) and anencephaly (absence or incorrect brain development). Spina bifida causes problems of varying severity, some correctable with surgery, others not surgically resolvable, such as paralysis of the lower limbs, difficulty controlling the bowel and bladder, and difficulties with physical and mental development. Babies with anencephaly die before birth or as newborns. Folic acid also appears to play a role in the prevention of other birth defects and malformations (cleft lip and palate, some heart defects).