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Folic Acid History

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Folic Acid History
What is it?
Folic acid is a water soluble B vitamin. It is used during pregnancy to prevent Neural Tube Defects (NTD's). NTD's are birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord (MedlinePlus). They can be fatal depending on how bad the injury is especially if it is to the brain. Folic acid works with vitamin B12 in the formation of red blood cells. Deficiency in both folic acid and vitamin B12 causes a certain type of anemia known as macrocytic anemia. Macrocytic anemia is a type of anemia that causes the red blood cells to become enlarged and have a reduced capacity to carry oxygen. Folic acid also helps with the formation of DNA within every body cell. (Mandal, news-medical)
History
Folic acid was created by a British scientist named Lucy …show more content…
There are two main types of NTD's the first is spina bifida and the second is anencephaly. There are 3 main types of spina bifida. The first one is spina bifida occulta, which is a mild form of spina bifida (shine charity). Spina bifida is Latin for split spine and occulta means hidden; spina bifida is a split in the spine hidden by the skin (SBH Queensland). The second one is spina bifida meningocele. With this type of spina bifida a sac filled with fluids comes through the babies back without the spinal cord being in the sac, there is little or no nerve damage. The third type is myelomeningocele. This is the most severe form of spina bifida and along with the sac of fluids the spinal cord starts growing in the sac and outside of the body (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Anencephaly is also an NTD in which a baby is born without parts of its brain or skull. It is the most serious type of defect (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Therefore, folic acid is mostly used in order in to reduce the risk of
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