One of the most vital of all the vitamins is Folic acid or folate. It is also known as Vitamin B9. It is a yellow colored, water-soluble, crystalline substance and steady in acid solution. It plays a very important role for the growth of new cells in the body. As folic acid is a neutral or alkaline substance, it may be damaged by the factors like sunlight, sulphur drugs, and food processing. At the same time it is very essential for maintaining normal levels of red blood cells in the bone marrow and also for the reproduction of the DNA in the body.
Foods That Are High in Folic Acid:
- Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, collards, chard, brussel, sprouts, spinach, cabbage, asparagus and parsnips
- Fruits like strawberries,bananas, oranges, watermelon kiwi fruit and papaya
- Whole grains like barley, oats, whole wheat, rice and white bread.
- In all kinds of beans and peas, lettuce, cauliflower, milk, mushrooms, root vegetables, salmon and tuna
- Large jacket potato, soya products, nuts, and particularly almonds
- In meat sources such as liver, chicken giblets, kidney and egg yolk
Functions of folic acid:
- In absence of folic acid, red blood cells cannot form properly and can lead to a condition called “Anemia”. Also to fight against cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, cancer and mental health, folic acid plays an important role.
- Folic acid helps nourish the skin and nervous system. Its other symptoms include Sun burn, skin rashes, skin cancer, wrinkles, age spots, and stretch marks.
- With the usage of folic acid nervous system functions normally. A proper balance and synthesis of neurotransmitters is maintained in the nervous system.
- Folic acid is also said to stop osteoporosis-related bone fractures.
Folic Acid and Hair Loss:
Loss of hair is found in both men and women due to many reasons such as aging process, hormonal imbalances in women, hereditary factors, side effects of a medicine, due to poor diet, and under medical conditions like Alopecia, illnesses like thyroid problems, stress and depression. The factors that mainly affect the growth of hair is insufficiency of Vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid.There are mainly two types of hair loss one is hair loss with scaling, or skin shedding and second is hair loss with no skin shedding. Its causes may vary from person to person but as a solution intake of folic acid works as a remedy.
Folic Acid for Hair Growth:
Folic acid works as an important medicine in helping hair loss to a great extent. Folic acid will make hair grow faster by the proper functioning of cells.It replaces the old cells of the body with the new cells.It plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the central nervous system. Folic acid helps tremendously in the growth of hair.
Dosage of Folic Acid for Hair Growth:
As far as hair loss is concerned it is very important to concern a doctor or dermatologist. He will find the proper cause and then prescribe the medicine. The dosage of folic acid differs in both men and women, for men it is 400mcg, while for women it is 200mcg.The instructions given by the dermatologist has to be strictly followed, if over dose is there it will lead to harmful effects. Many hair care products like shampoos and conditioners are also available in the market which contains folic acid.
Folic acid for skin care:
Folic acid is also significant in the maintenance of the skin. Folic acid helps to replenish skin cells for younger and firmer looking skin. One should increase use of green leafy vegetables, salads, fruit juices that are rich in folic acid so that a healthy skin is resulted. Also there are many products with folic acid available in the market for skin care.
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