Folic acid is vitamin B9. You can often hear the general name - folates; they are derivatives of this vitamin. We must understand that we get them from food, and folic acid tablets are a synthetic product that is already converted into folates inside the body.
All derivatives of vitamin B9 play an important role in hematopoiesis, that is, the formation of new blood cells. Therefore, a deficiency of these substances leads to anemia, a condition in which there are not enough red blood cells or they are irregular in shape and do not perform their functions. Folates have another very important feature: they stimulate the formation of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), which are the basis of all cells in the body. Therefore, folic acid is necessary for all rapidly dividing human tissues, including fetal tissues.
The role of folic acid:
• participates in the formation of DNA of all cells, that is, the source of hereditary information;
• stimulates hematopoiesis;
• indirectly blocks the formation of cancer cells;
• restores muscle tissue;
• during pregnancy: plays a role in the formation and development of the nervous tissue of the embryo, participates in the formation of blood vessels of the placenta.