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Vitamin B9
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
Vitamins are incredibly useful components for our body. Each of them fulfills its specific role. What role does vitamin B9 play in our body? We will now try to answer this question.
General information about vitamin B9
For people who are not related to medicine, it is enough to know that otherwise vitamin B9 is called folic acid. Devotees in the secrets of such sciences as chemistry or biology know that folate and folacin are terms that designate vitamin B9. For the first time vitamin B9 was derived from spinach sheets, so its scientific name from Latin translates as "leaf". Folate is found mainly in plants, and can also be synthesized in the intestine by its microflora.
The daily norm of vitamin B9
For normal operation of the body, you will need no more than 1000 micrograms of folate per day.
Conditions under which the daily dose of vitamin B9 should be increased
For pregnant women, the need for this vitamin greatly increases, about the same as for women breastfeeding. For people who lead an active lifestyle, with strong physical exertion, you need to increase the daily intake of vitamin B9.
The beneficial effect of vitamin B9 on the body
Vitamin B9 is needed for the proper formation of blood constituents and for the normal functioning of the digestive system. Folacin takes an active part in the process of cell division. It also synthesizes nucleic and amino acids, serotonin and noradrenolin - the main neurotransmitters. Without this vitamin there will be no formation of blood cells, hair and blood. Folate has a favorable effect on the metabolism of fats in the liver cells, promotes the dissolution of cholesterol. It interacts well with choline and other vitamins of group "B". Appetite and a healthy kind of skin is provided by this vitamin.
Interaction with other substances
With the interaction of folate with vitamins B12 and B, the risk of getting sick with atherosclerosis decreases, the formation of the amino acid-homocysteine exchange product, which clogs the vessels with atherosclerotic plaques, ceases. Vitamin B9 promotes the release of magnesium from the body. The human body grows and develops due to the interaction of two vitamins - B9 and B12, with the same help, there is a constant formation of blood cells.
Symptoms of vitamin B9 deficiency
Anemia or anemia manifests itself with a lack of folate in the body. Bloating of the tongue, diseases of the nervous system and bleeding gums - all these are symptoms of a lack of vitamin B9, and if your health is dear to you, then you need to urgently go to the doctor! He will give you the necessary dose of vitamins and prescribe a prescription. Deficiency of folate can cause intestinal bleeding and diseases such as gastritis, stomatitis or enteritis. The consequences of a lack of this vitamin can greatly affect your health, so it's better to provide yourself with the necessary amount of foods that contain vitamin B9.
What affects the amount of vitamin B9 in food?
Heat treatment of foods greatly reduces the amount of vitamin B9. So, if you cook vegetables, then up to 90% of the vitamin is lost, with the heat treatment of meat, the loss of vitamin reaches 95%. With conservation, the picture does not look better. You should consume as much as possible products containing folate fresh. They can be: cabbage broccoli, onions, lettuce, spinach or wild garlic.
Why there is a deficiency of vitamin B9?
The amount of folacin in the human body can decrease not only with a small intake of food, but also with a decrease in the amount of vitamins B6, C and B12. The latter affects the production of folate in the liver cells. If you eat a little protein, then the level of vitamin B9 can drop dramatically.
Influence on the amount of folate can be excessive use of alcohol, contraceptives and antibiotics. Its absorption can be disturbed by diseases of the digestive system, and metabolism - with liver diseases.
If you want to be healthy and beautiful, be sure to maintain the level of vitamins with a healthy lifestyle and the right choice of foods for your daily diet.
What foods contain vitamin B9?
A large amount of vitamin B9 can be contained in nuts: walnut - 70 mcg, peanuts - 240 mkg, hazelnuts - 68 mkg, almonds - 40 mkg. Among the greenery, a large amount of folate is found in wild garlic (up to 40 micrograms). Spinach can contain up to 80 micrograms of folate, and in leeks, up to 32 micrograms. Fans of green salad can get up to 48 mcg of this vitamin.
In chicken, pork and beef liver can contain from 220 to 240 micrograms of folate. Different types of beans contain vitamin B9 in different amounts, but the average figure varies about 90 mcg. Broccoli cabbage contains 63 micrograms of folate, so include it in your diet.
If you like to go for mushrooms, you should know that your labors will be rewarded, because mushrooms are very rich in vitamin B9: for example, a white fungus can contain up to 40 micrograms of folate, and mushroom - up to 30 mcg! Such an ingredient of any conservation, like horseradish, contains almost 37 μg of folate. Porridges are also very saturated with this vitamin, so the porridge contains 40 micrograms of vitamin B9. Often cook these foods, and you will not have problems with a lack of vitamin B9.