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(NaturalNews) Folic acid is also known as Vitamin B9 or Folacin. It is water soluble and essential to many bodily functions such as producing healthy red blood cells and preventing anemia. There are many benefits of folic acid; it inhibits colon cancer, prevents heart disease and is beneficial for pregnant women. Folic acid is abundant in fruit, green leafy vegetables, beans and nuts, but it can also be bought in supplement form.

Folic Acid May Help Allergies
More folic acid facts are proven every year. Recently researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that people with higher blood levels of folic acid had fewer lgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and less likely to develop asthma. The results will appear in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The researchers said that the findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms, but they still need to figure out why it happens before they start using folic acid supplementation as a treatment method.

May Prevent Premature Birth
A team of U.S. and Irish researchers found that women who supplemented with folic acid for a year or longer before giving birth had a 70 percent decreased risk of preterm birth between 20 and 28 weeks of gestation. The researchers believe that folic acid regulated certain genes that malfunction to cause early labor. A year of supplementing with folic acid dropped the risk of premature birth by 50 percent, according to the study. The results of the study were presented in early 2008, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting, in Dallas, Texas, United States.

Folic Acid Overdose
The risk of toxicity from folic acid is relatively low. The Institute of Medicine has established a level of 1mg for adults. Research has proven that high levels of folic acid may interfere with some antimalarial treatments. This information generally applies to supplements; if you get your folic acid from fruits and vegetables, you do not have to worry about getting too much.

Summary
The benefits of folic acid are clear. These are just some examples of what it can do for you, but it is also important to not go overboard. If you eat enough fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans then you are most likely getting enough folic acid, and you do not need to supplement. If on the other hand you feel like you would benefit, supplements might be the way to go; not everyone has access to a lot of good, fresh produce.

Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...

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