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Folate or folic acid - the mood balancer
Jenny Chew, Careline Advisor
Growing children have growing needs, this section will guide you through your children’s cognitive, emotional and physical development.  It is also full of useful nutrition advice for your child’s ever increasing energy and nutritional requirements and growth. This is a great stage in your child’s life as they become more interactive and engaging, but with their increased language and curiosity there may be some questions you can’t answer;  remember we’re always here to support you.
Jenny Chew, Careline Advisor
 

Folate or folic acid - the mood balancer

What is Folate or Folic acid ?

 

Folate (natural form) or Folic acid (synthetic form) is a water-soluble vitamin and belongs to the B-vitamin group. It is essential for cell division especially in red blood cells and the immune system , for growth and reproduction. When there is a low supply of folic acid, it causes an accumulation of harmful amino acid called homocystein in the brain, which prevents the normal metabolism of the amine neurotransmitters that have a direct effect on mood. 

Recent studies also found that the risk of heart attack and heart disease is greater with low folic acid consumption due to accumulation of homosystein. Deficiency of this nutrient also leads to fatigue, sore tongue, mental disturbances, megaloblastic anemia, digestive disturbances and growth problems. It is recommended by US Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) that adults should consume 400 mcg of folic acid rich foods in a day especially women of childbearing to prepare their bodies for conception and to prevent neural tube defect (NTD), a birth defect that occur within the first months of pregnancy and result in paralysis and sometimes death. Look out for these foods to meet your daily requirement.





Adapted from 2002 Update Nutrition by Paul Insel, R, Elaine Turner and Don Ross.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1999. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 13. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp

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