BENEFITS OF FOLIC ACID IN MEN
Habiblah Jagunmolu
A notable cause of folate deficiency, prevalent in South-West Nigeria, is boiling of vegetables before cooking or overcooking of vegetables, which diminishes the folate quality and quantity in such diets. Folate deficiency is a potent cause of congenital abnormalities and NTDs, which were thought to be due to a spiritual curse.
Folic acid, Folate, Vitamin B9 or Pteroyl-glutamic acid is a water-soluble vitamin. Its importance in women of reproductive ages should not be minimised, whether pregnant or not. Folate is abundant in liver and leafy green vegetables.
Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) have been associated with poor folate supplementation in pregnant women. In non-pregnant women, folate is important for positive modulation of erythropoiesis. This is important due to the blood loss during the menstrual cycle.
A common cause of folate deficiency is inadequate dietary intake of folate. Another cause is increased demand, as seen in pregnancy, lactation & some malignancies.
In a study conducted on elderly Korean men in 2022, high serum folate is positively associated with pulmonary function. Likewise, folate therapy has also been greatly helpful in preventing stroke in hypertensive men. Low serum folate with an associated rise in serum homocysteine level has been implicated in an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis.
Deficient levels of folic acid in men are also associated with elevated chromosomal damage. As folate helps in DNA synthesis, it has been proposed, although unclear, that folic acid could boost fertility in sub-fertile males, especially when combined with zinc.
Lastly, men with adequate folate intake are at lesser risk of developing colorectal cancer in later life.
Areas where folate can play a role include Autism spectrum disorder, Cancer, Cardiovascular disease and Stroke, Dementia, Cognitive function, and Alzheimer’s disease, Depression, NTDs and Preterm birth, Congenital heart defects and other congenital anomalies.
You probably would have wondered if there’s a difference between folic acid and folate. Yes, there’s a difference but not so much beyond the source. Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9, while Folic acid is the synthetic form.
References
1. Fenech MF, Dreosti IE, Rinaldi JR. Folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine status and chromosome damage rate in lymphocytes of older men. Carcinogenesis. 1997 Jul;18(7):1329–36. doi: 10.1093/carcin/18.7.1329. PMID: 9230275.
2. Kim J, Kim DH, Lee BH, Kang SH, Lee HJ, Lim SY, Suh YK, Ahn YO. Folate intake and the risk of colorectal cancer in a Korean population. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep;63(9):1057–64. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2009.37. Epub 2009 Jun 24. PMID: 19550429.
3. Zhou Z, Li J, et al Effect of Smoking and Folate Levels on the Efficacy of Folic Acid Therapy in Prevention of Stroke in Hypertensive Men. Stroke. 2018 Jan;49(1):114–120. doi: 10.1161
4. Song S, Song BM, Park HY. Associations of Serum Folate and Homocysteine Concentrations with All-Cause, CVS, and Cancer Mortality in Men and Women in Korea: the Cardiovascular Disease Association Study. J Nutr. 2023 Mar;153(3):760–770. doi: 10.1016
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