Report on Folic Acid Supplements: Uses and Adverse Effects

This report examines the role of folic acid supplements, detailing their benefits and potential risks. It highlights the use of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects and congenital heart defects, often prescribed during pregnancy. The report further explores the adverse effects of excessive folic acid intake, including the presence of unmetabolized folic acid in the blood, increased cancer risk due to reduced natural killer cell response, and potential links to child obesity and insulin resistance. The report references key studies and provides a comprehensive overview of the health implications associated with folic acid supplementation, offering insights into both its therapeutic applications and potential adverse outcomes.

Running head: ROLE OF FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTS
Role of Folic Acid Supplements
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ROLE OF FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTS
Question 1.
Folic acid is one of the forms of vitamin-B and it is mainly found in the fruits, peas,
leafy green vegetables and in dried beans. The synthetic form of folic acid is used in various
dietary supplements in order to meet the requirement of the body. The folic acid supplementation
can be used to treat the cases of birth defects named neural tube defects that is disrupted
formation of brain and spine. Anencephaly and spina bifida are mostly reported diseases (Czeizel
et al., 2013). Supplements are generally prescribed in pregnancy. In some cases, it can be used to
prevent heart diseases like stroke and congenital heart diseases (Huo et al., 2015).
Question 2.
Higher amount of folic acid intake can create various adverse effect in the body.
However, excessive intake of folic acid will cause presence of unmetabolized folic acid (UFA) in
the blood circulation. Moreover, excessive intake is associated with higher risk of cancer .The
higher risk of cancer is due to the reduced response of Natural killer cells to carcinogenic cells.
According to Krishnaveni et al. (2014) higher level of folic acid may cause obesity and insulin
resistance in children who are in < 5 years age group. Lower concentration of adiponectin in the
body is associated with the type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance (Patel & Sobczyńska-
Malefora, 2017). So it can be said that, the although folic acid is very much effective for
pregnant woman, but enhanced amount of folic supplements can contribute to child obesity and
insulin resistant along with increased risk of cancer development.

2ROLE OF FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTS
References
Czeizel, A. E., Dudás, I., Vereczkey, A., & Bánhidy, F. (2013). Folate deficiency and folic acid
supplementation: the prevention of neural-tube defects and congenital heart
defects. Nutrients, 5(11), 4760-4775.
Huo, Y., Li, J., Qin, X., Huang, Y., Wang, X., Gottesman, R. F., & Fu, J. (2015). Efficacy of
folic acid therapy in primary prevention of stroke among adults with hypertension in
China: the CSPPT randomized clinical trial. Jama, 313(13), 1325-1335.
Krishnaveni, G. V., Veena, S. R., Karat, S. C., Yajnik, C. S., & Fall, C. H. (2014). Association
between maternal folate concentrations during pregnancy and insulin resistance in Indian
children. Diabetologia, 57(1), 110-121.
Patel, K. R., & Sobczyńska-Malefora, A. (2017). The adverse effects of an excessive folic acid
intake. European journal of clinical nutrition, 71(2), 159.