Folic acid is the synthetic version of vitamin B9 and is also known as folinic acid folate, folacin, pteroidglutamic acid. It is a vitamin involved in many physiological processes in the human body such as the synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, amino acids and in homocysteine metabolism. It is a cofactor in the methylation cycle and in the transformation of monocarbon units.
The human body cannot produce vitamin B9, but must obtain it from food.
It is not produced by the human body, but is taken in through foods that contain it and which are :
- meat
- legumes, oranges, broccoli, peas
- milk
Industrially it appears in the form of a yellow or brown water-soluble powder.
What it is used for and where
Cosmetics
Skin conditioning agent - Miscellaneous. This ingredient has the task of modifying the condition of the skin when it is damaged or dry by reducing its flakiness and restoring its elasticity.
Medical
Some of the consequences of vitamin B9 deficiency are: anaemia, DNA disorders, protein synthesis disorders. Vitamin B9 deficiency is most noticeable in the elderly.
This vitamin plays a role as an antioxidant agent and is important for :
- avoid malformations in newborns
- avoid risks of gestational hypertension during pregnancy (1)
- DNA synthesis (2)
- hemoglobin formation
- tissue formation
- stroke risk reduction (3)
Studies
Plasma homocysteine level and megaloblastic anemia status are two factors that can affect the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis. Serum homocysteine level decrease and anemia status improvement with vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation reveal the potential role of these two vitamins in improving the life quality of multiple sclerosis patients (4).
In diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) patients, the effect of folic acid and homocysteine has been related to components of nerve conduction velocity (NCV). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of folic acid supplementation on NCV in DPN patients. Data suggest that supplementation with 1 mg of folic acid for 16 weeks may be useful for enhancing NCV in DPN patients (5).
In 2009, mandatory folic acid fortification of bread-making flour was introduced in Australia to reduce the birth prevalence of preventable neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida. Before the introduction of the policy, modelling predicted a reduction of 14-49 NTDs each year. This study calculated the value of mandatory folic acid fortification using real-world registry data and demonstrated that the attained benefit was comparable to the modelled expected benefits. Mandatory folic acid fortification (in addition to policies including advice on supplementation and education) improved equity in certain populations and was effective and highly cost effective for the Australian population (6).
Other studies
Modelling the impact of mandatory folic acid fortification of bread or flour in Ireland on the risk of occurrence of NTD-affected pregnancies in women of childbearing age and on risk of masking vitamin B12 deficiency in older adults. Kehoe L, Walton J, Hopkins SM, McNulty BA, Nugent AP, Flynn A. Eur J Nutr. 2019 Oct 23. doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-02111-4.
Folic Acid Antagonists: Antimicrobial and Immunomodulating Mechanisms and Applications. Fernández-Villa D, Aguilar MR, Rojo L. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 9;20(20). pii: E4996. doi: 10.3390/ijms20204996
Depression, isotretinoin, and folic acid: A practical review. Abdelmaksoud A, Vojvodic A, Ayhan E, Dönmezdil S, Jovicevic TV, Vojvodic P, Lotti T, Vestita M. Dermatol Ther. 2019 Oct 6:e13104. doi: 10.1111/dth.13104.
Association between BHMT and CBS gene promoter methylation with the efficacy of folic acid therapy in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia. Huang X, Li D, Zhao Q, Zhang C, Ren B, Yue L, Du B, Godfrey O, Wang X, Zhang W. J Hum Genet. 2019 Sep 27. doi: 10.1038/s10038-019-0672-7
The effect of folic acid in patients with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Wang Y, Jin Y, Wang Y, Li L, Liao Y, Zhang Y, Yu D. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Sep;98(37):e17095. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000017095.Other studies
The most relevant studies on this vitamin have been selected with a summary of their contents:
Molecular Formula : C19H19N7O6
Molecular Weight : 441.404 g/mol
CAS : 59-30-3 32108-06-8
EC number 200-419-0
Sinonimi :
- Folic Acid
- Vitamin M
- Vitamin B11
- Vitamin BC
- Incafolic
- Folsan
- Folacin
- Folacina
- Cytofol
- Folan
- Folate
- Folcidin
- Folcysteine
- Foldine
- Folettes
- Foliamin
- Folicet
- Folipac
- Folsav
- Foluite
- Folvite
- Glutamic acid, N-(p-(((2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-pteridinyl)methyl)amino)benzoyl)-
- Pteroylglutamic acid
- EINECS 200-419-0
References_________________________________________________________________________
(1) Li Z, Ye R, Zhang L, Li H, Liu J, Ren A. Folic Acid Supplementation During Early Pregnancy and the Risk of Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia. Hypertension. 2013 Feb 11.
(2) Luo S, Zhang X, Yu M, Yan H, Liu H, Wilson JX, Huang G. Folic Acid Acts Through DNA Methyltransferases to Induce the Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells into Neurons. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2013 Jan 6.
(3) Yang HT, Lee M, Hong KS, Ovbiagele B, Saver JL. Efficacy of folic acid supplementation in cardiovascular disease prevention: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Intern Med. 2012 Dec;23(8):745-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2012.07.004.
(3) Yang HT, Lee M, Hong KS, Ovbiagele B, Saver JL. Efficacy of folic acid supplementation in cardiovascular disease prevention: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Intern Med. 2012 Dec;23(8):745-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2012.07.004. .
(4) Nozari E, Ghavamzadeh S, Razazian N.
The Effect of Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Supplementation on Serum Homocysteine, Anemia Status and Quality of Life of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Clin Nutr Res. 2019 Jan 25;8(1):36-45. doi: 10.7762/cnr.2019.8.1.36. eCollection 2019 Jan.
(5) Tayebeh M, Khorvash F, Maracy M, Bellissimo N, Askari G. Effect of folic acid supplementation on nerve conduction velocity in diabetic polyneuropathy patients. Neurol Res. 2019 Feb 7:1-5. doi: 10.1080/01616412.2019.1565180.
(6) Saing S, Haywood P, van der Linden N, Manipis K, Meshcheriakova E, Goodall S. Real-World Cost Effectiveness of Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification of Bread-Making Flour in Australia. ppl Health Econ Health Policy. 2019 Jan 8. doi: 10.1007/s40258-018-00454-3.
Folic acid 
