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Folic acid has to be one of the most underrated vitamins
around. How many of us have heard of it, let alone know
anything about it. But hardly a month goes by without some
report appearing on the benefits of folic acid.
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Insufficient amounts of vitamin B12 or folic acid may cause
hearing loss in elderly women, according to a study in the March
1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Research at the University of Georgia studied hearing function,
together with blood levels of vitamin B12 and folate in 55 healthy
women ages 60 to 71. Women with impaired hearing had 38
percent lower levels of vitamin B12 and 31 percent lower levels of
folate than women with normal hearing.
These two nutrients are key to maintaining efficient blood flow
and nervous system function, according to researchers.
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A high daily intake of folic acid may reduce breast cancer risk
among women who regularly consume alcoholic beverages.
Research published in the May 5 1999 issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association discussed the value of high (at least
400 micrograms/day) intakes of folic acid. This level may
protect against certain fetal birth defects, cardiovascular
disease, and colorectal cancer. In the report it is noted
that the Recommended Dietary Allowance for folate was recently
increased from 180 micrograms/day to 400 micrograms/day. In
addition, the Food and Drug Administration recently mandated that
all grain products sold in the US be fortified with folic acid.
To determine the nutrient's effect on risks for breast cancer,
the authors examined data from over 88,000 women involved in the
ongoing Nurses' Health Study. Among the group as a whole,
folate intake was not associated with overall risk of breast
cancer. However, among regular, moderate drinkers (those who
consumed 15 grams of alcohol per day which is about a glass and a
half of beer or wine) women with the highest daily intake of folic
acid (600 micrograms/day) were at a 45% lower risk for breast
cancer compared with women with the lowest folate intake (150-299
micrograms/day).
According to previous research, a woman's lifetime risk for
breast cancer rises 9% with every 10 gram/day increase in alcohol
consumption.
The report concludes that the excess risk of breast cancer
associated with alcohol consumption may be reduced by ensuring
adequate folate intake.
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Folic acid has to be one of the most underrated vitamins
around. How many of us have heard of it, let alone know
anything about it. But why? Not a month goes by without
some report appearing on the benefits of folic acid. Not only
that, but recently these reports have stressed the additional
benefits of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 when used in combination
with folic acid. Many of these articles have associated folic
acid with a reduced risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular
disease, and, in combination with vitamin B12, folic acid may have
a connection to Alzheimer's disease.
As long ago as 1992, the US Public Health Service recommended
that all women of childbearing age who could potentially become
pregnant should take 400 mcg of folic acid every day, either
through diet or supplementation. Adequate amounts of folic
acid reduce the occurrence of birth defects, such as spina bifida,
which affects the spine and spinal cord, and anencephaly, a lethal
disorder affecting the brain and skull.
Then in 1996, the FDA, a division of the US Department of Health
and Human Services authorized the use on labels and in the labeling
of food, including dietary supplements, of health claims on the
association between adequate intake of folate and the risk of
neural tube birth defects. This was followed in 1997 by
mandatory addition of folic acid to all enriched cereal grains.
Perhaps the most exciting development has been the relationship
between homocysteine levels (associated with risk factors in heart
disease) and folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. For
example, a report in the Journal of the American Medical
Association concluded that intake of folic acid and vitamin B6 may
be important in the prevention of coronary heart disease among
women. The evidence is so strong that the American Heart
Association has issued an advisory suggesting that those with a
history of heart disease make sure that they consume the RDA of
vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
Is there a downside? NO! All the current evidence
suggests that there is no danger of consuming too much folic
acid.
Retail: $24.97 If you placed your last order on or before March 31, 2008, use the Promotion Code PRE in the Shopping Cart to receive your last purchase price. |
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