Last Wednesday, Hangzhou Uncle Liu went to the hospital, and after the doctor helped him do the examination and measure his blood pressure, he prescribed a prescription and asked Uncle Liu to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine. But as soon as the medicine arrived, he was not happy because there was a bottle of folic acid in it.
"Folic acid? Isn't this something that women eat, isn't it wrong! Do you covet my medical bills? ”。
Subsequently, Uncle Liu returned to the clinic with a small bag of medicine and questioned the doctor, who had to explain it to him.
The above scene is not uncommon, whether it is middle-aged and elderly or young people, it is easy to misunderstand some drugs, which is also normal. In fact, in addition to pregnant women, some elderly people also have the need to supplement folic acid.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > Folic acid – associated with many diseases</h1>
Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin, also known as folate protein, vitamin B9, which is found both in natural foods and as a dietary supplement. The main role of folic acid is to assist in the formation of DNA and RNA and to participate in protein metabolism. In addition, folic acid is also necessary for the production of healthy red blood cells. When folic acid is lacking, various problems come to the door, such as high blood pressure, stroke, miscarriage, premature birth, cognitive impairment, anemia, fatigue, arrhythmia, hair loss, mouth sores, etc.
This shows how important it is to the human body.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > second, in addition to pregnant women, middle-aged and elderly people can also be supplemented</h1>
Usually, in order to ensure the healthy development of the fetus, pregnant women need to supplement a variety of nutritional products and health supplements during pregnancy, and folic acid is one of them. During pregnancy and fetal development, if pregnant women lack folic acid, there will be various pregnancy damages, resulting in anemia, placental dysplasia, and even the risk of miscarriage and premature birth.
Of course, the role of folic acid is not limited to this. In 2020, China's first folate guidelines - "China Clinical Rational Supplementation of Folic Acid Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus" was officially released, in view of the high incidence of chronic diseases in the elderly, experts also explained the role of folic acid.
1. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Folic acid can soften blood vessels, improve vascular endothelial function, reduce homocysteine content in the blood, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke and coronary heart disease. In particular, H-type hypertension requires additional folic acid supplementation if necessary.
2. Prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Folic acid can reduce harmful substances that damage cerebral blood vessels in the body, improve memory, delay the rate of degradation of cognitive function in the brain, and prevent Alzheimer's disease. A Dutch study showed that folic acid supplementation reduced homocysteine concentrations and improved cognitive functions such as memory, information processing, and motor sensation in the brain.
3. Delay the progression of kidney disease
Studies have found that folic acid is generally lacking in patients with kidney disease, and folic acid treatment can delay the rate of glomerular filtration rate reduction in slow nephropathy and reduce the risk of kidney disease development and death.
4. Rheumatic immune diseases
Professor Zuo Li, director of the Department of Nephrology of Peking University People's Hospital, said that folic acid needs to be reasonably supplemented in the department of nephrology. Clinically, the main drug used for rheumatic immune diseases is methotrexate, but there will be gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Studies have found that patients with rheumatic immune diseases can supplement folic acid with 5 to 10 mg/week during taking methotrexate drugs, which can effectively alleviate drug side effects.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >3. Which middle-aged and elderly people should be supplemented? How much to eat? </h1>
Although folic acid is good, not all middle-aged and elderly people need to be supplemented, in general, the elderly who need folic acid supplementation are the following types:
Patients with hyperhocysteine and other risk factors for stroke;
Patients with possible insufficiency of folic acid in the diet;
Patients with low folic acid or hyperhomocysteinemia.
Of course, folic acid is not the more supplements the better. According to the "Recommended Dietary Nutrients for Chinese Residents", the maximum tolerable amount of folic acid is 1mg/day, and excessive consumption will inhibit the body's absorption of zinc and cause other health problems, such as aggravating degenerative diseases of the nervous system, reducing immunity, and increasing the risk of cancer.
Folic acid supplementation for high-risk groups, special populations and those aimed at preventing and controlling clinical diseases depends on the situation: folic acid supplementation is 0.8 mg/day for patients with H-type hypertension; folic acid supplementation is 0.8 mg/day for patients with alzheimer's disease; and folic acid supplementation is 0.4 mg/day for stroke patients.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > extension: which foods are rich in folic acid</h1>
Experts recommend that for individuals with folate deficiency/deficiency, it is first recommended to improve the nutritional status of folic acid through a balanced diet. In daily life, folic acid-rich foods include the following.
Vegetables: asparagus, artemisia annua, spinach, tomatoes, etc.;
Fruits: strawberries, oranges, apples, pears, etc.;
Others: lean meat, eggs, animal liver, soy products, etc.;
All in all, the choice of folic acid supplements or fortified foods should be based on a balanced diet, preferably under the guidance of a professional doctor, so as not to cause excessive intake of folic acid and affect physical health.
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Resources:
[1] Scientific and reasonable supplementation of folic acid, this has the final say. Medical Forum Network Cardiovascular. 2021-01-25
[2] Is it reliable for middle-aged and elderly people to supplement folic acid to prevent stroke?.Shanghai Pharmaceutical News .2017-08-01
[3] The first "Folic Acid Supplement Specification" in China was released, and folic acid supplementation was exquisite. Personalized Pharmacy Services. 2020-09-28
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