How to take calcium tablets and folic acid properly

In order to prevent the baby from having deformities, many women will supplement folic acid during the preparation for pregnancy or after pregnancy. As the months of pregnancy increase, calcium supplements are needed. Some pregnant women are worried that taking folic acid and calcium tablets at the same time may affect the growth and development of the baby or the pregnant woman. However, when supplementing folic acid, you must be careful not to take it randomly. So how to take calcium tablets and folic acid reasonably?

How to take calcium tablets and folic acid properly?

Folic acid is mainly used to prevent birth defects such as fetal malformation and congenital heart disease. It is quite effective for anemia in the fetus and pregnant women. Calcium tablets are mainly used to supplement calcium. Folic acid tablets and calcium tablets can be taken together. If you take folic acid tablets first, it is best to wait half an hour before taking calcium tablets, so that they are easier to absorb.

The functions of folic acid tablets are:

1. Reduce the incidence of congenital defects in newborns

Increasing folic acid intake is especially important during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency in expectant mothers will lead to low birth weight of newborns and increase the risk of neural tube defects in the baby. Most doctors and health care professionals recommend that all women of childbearing age take a 400-mcg daily folic acid supplement beginning in the first three months of pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in the fetus. If folic acid is supplemented after pregnancy, the effect may be greatly reduced. Folic acid may also prevent other birth defects. Taking a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid during pregnancy can also reduce other congenital developmental defects, such as heart defects and cleft lip defects. Large doses of folic acid (6 mg per day) can also prevent cleft lip and palate. Of course, this must be done under the guidance of a doctor.

2. Promote the development of nerve cells and brain cells in infants and young children

Foreign studies have shown that adding folic acid to food for babies under 3 years old can help promote the growth of their brain cells and improve their intelligence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved folic acid to be added to infant formula as a health food additive.

3. Maintain breast health

In previous studies, folic acid supplementation has no close relationship with the occurrence of breast cancer. But studies have shown that among women who drink alcoholic beverages every day, those with lower folate levels have a significantly higher incidence of breast cancer. Among women who drank alcoholic beverages daily, those who took multivitamins containing folic acid had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer than those who never took them.

4. Protect cardiovascular system

Folic acid can lower homocysteine ​​levels. It is well known that elevated homocysteine ​​can lead to the development of heart disease. Other B vitamins can also help lower homocysteine ​​levels, but folic acid is the most important one. Even when homocysteine ​​levels are normal, folate deficiency can lead to the development of peripheral vascular disease and coronary artery disease, suggesting that it can maintain normal homocysteine ​​levels.

How to supplement folic acid during pregnancy

Fetal neural tube defects occur within the first 28 days of pregnancy, when most expectant mothers are unaware that they are pregnant, so they face the risk of folic acid deficiency and endanger the baby in the womb. During the fetal period, brain development occurs earliest and most rapidly; early pregnancy (3 to 6 weeks) is the critical period for the growth and development of the fetal central nervous system. The embryo forms primitive brain vesicles at the fourth week of pregnancy. Although the fetus is only about 3 cm long and its weight has only increased by more than 2 grams at the eighth week, its brain cells proliferate rapidly at this time and are most susceptible to teratogenic factors. If folic acid is supplemented at this critical time, the risk of neural tube disease in the fetus can be reduced by 50% to 70%.

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.