Daily folic acid intake for pregnant women and precautions for folic acid supplementation

Folic acid is essential for human metabolism and is very important in the relationship between pregnant women and fetuses. Clinical trials have shown that folic acid can effectively prevent neural tube defects in fetuses, so it is highly valued. The hormones in pregnant women are easily imbalanced during pregnancy, so external supplementation is essential. However, pregnant women should have a certain understanding of the amount of folic acid they should take.

The daily folic acid intake of pregnant women is 0.4 mg. If women supplement 0.4 mg of folic acid daily before and after pregnancy, it can effectively reduce the incidence of cleft lip and palate by 50%, the incidence of congenital heart disease by 35%, the infant mortality rate by 20%, and the incidence of other major superficial malformations except neural tube defects by 15%.

Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin. Excess folic acid will be excreted from the body with urine, but large doses of folic acid taken by pregnant mothers may still pose a health risk to themselves and their babies. For example, it may affect the absorption of zinc, leading to zinc deficiency, slowing the development of the fetus, and increasing the chance of low birth weight babies. Therefore, smart women must remember that the upper limit of daily folic acid intake is 1 mg. Excessive or long-term supplementation of one mg will still put a heavy burden on the body of pregnant women.

The best time to take folic acid supplements is from 3 months before you plan to become pregnant to the entire early pregnancy. Folic acid supplementation should continue until the end of pregnancy and should not be interrupted. During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the synthesis of the baby's DNA, the increase in the placenta, maternal tissue and red blood cells all greatly increase your need for folic acid. Therefore, even if the baby's nervous system has been fully developed in the early stages of pregnancy, folic acid deficiency in the middle and late stages of pregnancy can still cause megaloblastic anemia, preeclampsia, and placental abruption.

The total amount of folic acid in the human body is about 5 to 6 mg, but the human body cannot synthesize folic acid by itself and can only be absorbed from food. Natural supplements are the most effective. Animal liver, kidney, and green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid, so you can make sure they appear on your table regularly. Pregnant mothers should change some cooking habits to reduce the loss of folic acid as much as possible and increase the intake of foods rich in folic acid.

For children, being born healthy is the best way for them to welcome this world. The future of the child plays a big role from the moment the mother becomes pregnant. Do a good job of folic acid supplementation, and the child's health problems are around you. Folic acid supplementation can be done very simply in daily life. Relatively speaking, supplementation is quite easy, but you need to pay attention to the issue of food supplementation.