Folate through Lifecycle Nutrition Research Paper - 1

Folate through Lifecycle Nutrition - Research Paper Example The required Folate intake amount depends on the condition.3 Folate can be derived mostly in vegetables4. However, there are alternative ways through which humans can get Folate nutrients. Through fortification, consumers can derive Folate from foods that do not naturally contain Folate.5 Whereas Folate has been identified to prevent neural tubal disorders among pregnant mothers, mostly the correct administration also matters.6 Folate becomes effective when taken during the initial weeks of conception.7 Folate is believed to have various effects on human health, hence there is the need to study the facts surrounding it. To ascertain the effects of Folate in the life cycle of humans, various studies have been conducted. Greenberg et al established that Folate is essential in both nutrition and reproduction. During pregnancy, Folate is required in abundance since it is an essential element in fetal growth.8 Since it cannot be synthesized anew from the body, it is recommended for mothers to take foods rich in foliate during pregnancy. This reduces chances of the offspring and parent to suffer from foliate deficiency related diseases, in this case anemia or neural tubal defects.8 A study conducted by Blencowe et al showed that mothers who had previous cases of pregnancies with neural tubal disorders reduced their chances of the condition recurring by 75% if they took Folate supplements9. For mothers who never had previous cases of Neural tubal disorders the rate of reduction of potential neural tubal disorders reduced by 62%9. In addition to these results, the study identified that despite neural tubal disorders being the most prevalent cases of Folate deficiency during pregnancy there are other risks. Neural tubal disorders in this case affect the infants’ functionality of the brain and spinal cords. Another common case of foliate deficiency diseases for infants that was observed is