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Folic Acid Chemical Structure Food Sources Folic Acid in the Body Stability Home Page Folic Acid Crystals Copied without permission from Roche Product Information

Folic Acid Folic Acid, or pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, is one of the water soluble B-vitamins Did You Know? Other names for folic acid are folacin, vitamin Bc, vitamin B9 and Lactobacillus casei factor. Top Chemical Structure Fig.1 The Chemical Structure of Folic Acid 3D Structure of Folic Acid Top Principal Sources in Food There are many food sources containing folic acid, the most important being: Green leafy vegetables Beans Liver Yeast Extract Whole grains Egg yolk Milk and milk products Oranges and orange juice Beets Wholemeal bread Beer Top Folic Acid in the Body Folic acid is essential in the body for the formation of new cells. It is involved in the metabolism of DNA and RNA, deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid respectively, and is required for normal growth, development and fuctioning of the foetus, nervous system and bone marrow. Deficiency of folic acid is quite common and can be caused by inadequate intake, problems with absorption and metabolism or increased requirements. Symptoms of severe deficiency include: Loss of appetite Abdominal pain Sickness Diarrhoea Ulcers in the mouth In pregnancy - premature birth and/or malformation In children - growth retardation Top Stability Folic acid in food is very unstable and considerable losses occur during short storage and cooking. Top

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