Will taking folic acid make your stool black?

Folic acid is also an important nutrient in the human body. Many pregnant women will take folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy. This is mainly to allow their bodies to take in more sufficient nutrients, which is more conducive to the growth and development of the fetus in the womb. If there is a lack of folic acid, it will cause deformities in the fetus in the womb, which is still very serious. However, people will not have black stools after taking folic acid.

This shows that folic acid plays an extremely important role in human health. Folic acid deficiency can lead to the risk of neonatal neurological malformations, thrombotic occlusive cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, anorexia and anorexia nervosa, megaloblastic anemia, vascular dementia in the elderly, depression and other diseases. [6]

(1) Investigation of the effect of folic acid on neural tube defects in newborns

A study by scholars on folic acid supplementation in Americans from diet and nutritional supplements from 2003 to 2006 showed that the folic acid intake of women of childbearing age must be improved. In areas with a high incidence of NTDs, the daily folic acid provided to pregnant women is only 100ug, far below the daily requirement of pregnant women. [6]

A survey study on the effect of dietary folic acid intake on blood folic acid levels in Canadian lactating women concluded that the amount of folic acid that lactating women should consume per day is 400ug. Folic acid plays an important role in regulating neurogenesis and programmed cell death. [6]

The fortification of foods with folic acid in the United States has reduced the birth rate of infants with neurological defects by 19%, but other factors have not been ruled out as contributing to this reduction. [6]

(2) Research on the effects of folic acid on other human diseases

In addition to being effective in preventing incomplete neural closure in infants, folic acid also plays a role in the prevention of some common human diseases. [6]

(3) Research on the effects of folic acid on other diseases

Increased homocysteine ​​concentration in plasma can lead to the occurrence of thrombotic occlusive cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, anorexia and anorexia nervosa, senile vascular dementia, depression and other diseases. In the circulation metabolism of homocysteine, folic acid is an important cofactor. After activation, folic acid can be converted into 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, which provides a methyl group for the conversion of homocysteine ​​into methionine. Folic acid deficiency causes a large amount of homocysteine ​​to accumulate, which is excreted outside the cells, causing an increase in the homocysteine ​​concentration in the plasma and leading to disease.

Studies have shown that the consumption of folic acid-fortified foods is essentially related to the increase of serum folate levels in middle-aged and elderly people. Folic acid can reduce the risk of gout in people without a history of gout. Folic acid deficiency can cause damage to multiple systems of the body, mainly causing colitis and chronic atrophic gastritis in the digestive system, and increasing the risk of colon cancer and gastric cancer. Folic acid supplementation can reduce the recurrence rate of colorectal cancer.

Studies have shown that a certain concentration of folic acid can inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells by affecting folic acid metabolism. Folic acid may enhance the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy drugs on ovarian cancer, thereby enhancing the chemotherapy sensitivity of ovarian cancer. [6]