The role of folic acid
2023-12-10
As we all know, vitamins are indispensable substances for the human body. They play an important role in the growth, metabolism, and development of the human body. If a certain vitamin is lacking for a long time, specific diseases will occur.
It can be seen that although the human body requires very little vitamins, their role cannot be underestimated. Today we will introduce a vitamin that can not only protect the heart but also prevent cancer, that is folic acid. Since folic acid is mainly provided by fresh vegetables and fruits, people in winter Because they are afraid of the cold, they often eat less fruit, resulting in reduced folic acid intake.
The most famous use of folic acid is to prevent congenital malformations and neural tube defects in newborns, prevent anemia and preeclampsia in pregnant women, and promote placental development. As a member of the vitamin B family, folic acid actually has many unknown effects. For example, folic acid not only protects heart health, but also has anti-cancer effects.
The protective effect of folic acid on heart health is mainly achieved by reducing homocysteine (Hcy) levels. High levels of Hcy are closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
Research shows that high Hcy can damage arteries, heart, and brain, lead to arteriosclerosis, hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, premature aging, and cancer, and is associated with more than 50 diseases. Hcy can induce damage to vascular endothelial cells, leading to stroke and coronary heart disease, and damage to endothelial cells can also affect platelet aggregation.
Folic acid can promote the metabolism of Hcy and convert it into methionine, thus reducing the concentration of Hcy in the blood. Therefore, adequate folic acid intake is essential for heart health.
Studies have shown that taking folic acid can improve chronic atrophic gastritis and reverse intestinal metaplasia. The researchers conducted an experiment on patients with H.pylori-negative chronic atrophic gastritis. The control group received conventional therapy (pepsin), and the treatment group received conventional therapy + folic acid and vitamin B12. The results show that folic acid and vitamin B12 can improve the clinical symptoms and histological changes of patients, and are worthy of promotion and application.
Another study looked at the long-term effects of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication therapy combined with folic acid in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis. 123 CAG patients who underwent H. pylori eradication treatment were selected as the research subjects and divided into combined group and simple eradication group. The simple eradication group received standard triple H.pylori eradication treatment, while the combined group took folic acid tablets for 3 months after successful H.pylori eradication.
Gastroscopy follow-up was performed 2 years after treatment. The results showed that the degree of gastric mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia of the patients in the combination group was significantly improved, the recovery was satisfactory, and the results of patients with successful eradication of H. pylori were better.
However, it should be noted that folic acid intake should be moderate. Excessive folic acid intake may have negative effects on health and even induce cancer!
Foods rich in folic acid include, especially in winter, you need to eat more. Vegetables: lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, greens, asparagus, cauliflower, rape, etc.; Fruits: oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, peaches, etc.; Animal livers (chicken liver, pork liver, sheep liver) and yeast, beans (soybeans, yuba) and duck eggs, etc.
In short, folic acid can not only protect heart health, but also have anti-cancer effects. Its mechanism of protecting the heart is mainly achieved by reducing Hcy levels and inhibiting inflammatory responses. Its anti-cancer effect is mainly achieved by promoting DNA repair and regulating DNA methylation. Appropriate intake of folic acid is beneficial to heart health and cancer prevention.
Finally, a warm reminder: Most people do not need to supplement folic acid through folic acid drugs or health products. They do not have a partial eclipse. By eating more fresh vegetables and fruits appropriately, it is enough to provide the folic acid needs in the body!
