What is Vitamin B9 in detail.
Answers
Answer:
Vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid, is one of 8 B vitamins. All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy. These B vitamins, often referred to as B-complex vitamins, also help the body use fats and protein.
Answer:
Vitamin B9, well-known as Folate or Folic acid in layman terms is one of the eight water-soluble vitamins. The term folate comes from the Latin word folium which means ‘leaf’ since it is chiefly found in many leafy plants and vegetables. Just like most B vitamins, it is used for converting food (i.e. carbohydrates) into simpler, easy to digest forms, i.e. glucose which is necessary for energy production. Apart from energy synthesis, folic acid is extremely crucial for the proper functioning of the brain and uplifting mental and emotional health.
Functions
Vitamin B9: Functions, Food Sources, Deficiencies and Toxicity
October 21, 2020
Vitamin B9, well-known as Folate or Folic acid in layman terms is one of the eight water-soluble vitamins. The term folate comes from the Latin word folium which means ‘leaf’ since it is chiefly found in many leafy plants and vegetables. Just like most B vitamins, it is used for converting food (i.e. carbohydrates) into simpler, easy to digest forms, i.e. glucose which is necessary for energy production. Apart from energy synthesis, folic acid is extremely crucial for the proper functioning of the brain and uplifting mental and emotional health.
Also Read: Vitamin B7/Biotin: Functions, Food Sources, Deficiencies and Toxicity
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vitamin B9
Folic acid, being the synthetic, chemical form of vitamin B9 is naturally found in food and the body and is usually converted into a metabolically active form i.e. tetrahydrofolate derivative (e.g., 5-methyltetrahydrofolate) that can be easily used by the body. This conversion chiefly occurs in the liver, where the folic acid is converted into tetrahydrofolate (THF) using the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).
Vitamin B9 actively participates in the synthesis of DNA and RNA which is highly necessary during rapid growth periods like puberty and pregnancy. It also helps in the synthesis and conversion of nucleic acid, amino acid as well as functions as a cofactor in several enzymatic reactions.
Folate was identified as an active constituent present in brewer’s yeast in the year 1930 and was first isolated and extracted in 1941 by biochemists Herschel K. Mitchell, Esmond E. Snell, and Roger J. Williams from green spinach leaves and hence was termed folate which is Latin for leaves. It was only later, in the year 1943, the pure crystalline form was obtained by a researcher named Bob Stokstad, a researcher.
Functions
Vitamin B9 or folic acid is pivotal for making red blood cells, helping in rapid cell division and growth, synthesis of RNA and DNA and enhancing brain activities. It holds high significance in maintaining the growth and replication of cells and tissues during the growing years such as during pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence.
It is strongly advised for pregnant women to have folic acid-rich foods or supplements since it helps prevent the foetus from developing major congenital deformities of the brain or spine, including neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Vitamin B9 can minimize the risk of congenital heart defects, cleft lip palate defects, and other abnormalities during the preconception period. Hence, it is even beneficial for women planning for a pregnancy to take vitamin B9 to thwart these abnormalities in the foetus. It also helps prevent sudden miscarriages
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