Vitamin B9

B9, is also known as Folic acid, or folate, and is a B complex vitamin used by your body to produce red blood cells. These complex vitamins are necessary to correctly metabolize proteins and fats and help to maintain your digestive tract, skin, hair, nervous system, muscles, and other tissues in your body. Folic acid assists in producing RNA and DNA which are essential in periods of rapid growth such as pregnancy, adolescence, and infancy. Working alongside vitamin B12, folic acid helps control the production of red blood cells and helps iron work correctly in your body. Anemia can be triggered by a deficiency of this vitamin.

Most people don’t ingest effective amounts of B9. Elevated levels of homocysteine are often discovered in those with heart disease. Normal levels could be maintained by taking supplements. A large number of people have slight folic acid deficiencies in Western countries. It is estimated that close to 13,500 deaths from cardiovascular diseases in USA, could be prevented annually by increasing intake of folic acid. Those with celiac disease, alcoholism, or irritable bowel syndrome are at high risk of folic acid deficiency, which can pave the way for numerous other health problems.

Certain B vitamins, including folic acid, work with enzymes to lower homocysteine levels. Folic acid is apparently the most important of all B vitamins in lowering homocysteine levels and supplementation aids in the reduction of these levels. Diseases such as coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease have been linked to folic acid deficiencies in those with regular levels of homocysteine. This suggests that folic acid may have preventative effects beyond regulating levels of homocysteine.