The "Pharmacist Talks about Medicine" column is online! As an indispensable element of family health, medicines are closely related to people's lives. Faced with all kinds of drugs, how to clearly understand, scientifically distinguish and use them safely? In this column, several senior pharmacists from Xiangyang Central Hospital will use concise, clear and easy-to-understand language to explain to you the common sense of daily household medication. You are welcome to send us your questions about home medication in the form of messages. We will collect and organize your questions in time and provide feedback in the column.
What is folic acid
Why should we take folic acid to prepare for pregnancy
How much is appropriate to eat
Is the more supplements the better
Can the supplemented folic acid be absorbed and metabolized
Today, let’s educate pregnant mothers about folic acid supplements
Folic acid supplements for pregnancy preparation
What is folic acid?
Folic acid (folic acid), also called vitamin B9, is a water-soluble vitamin . It was extracted and purified from spinach leaves by H.K. Mitchell (1941), so it was named folic acid. It can be obtained from daily foods such as green leafy vegetables, beans, fish, eggs, nuts, etc. However, 50-95% of the folic acid in these foods will be lost during cooking.
is aimed at special groups such as infants, teenagers, especially pregnant women, who generally need to supplement folic acid to meet the needs of the body.
The role of folic acid!
With the in-depth research on folic acid and birth defects, women's diseases during pregnancy, etc., it has been found that it participates in the metabolism of nucleic acids and amino acids in the human body, and plays a very important role in cell proliferation , tissue differentiation and body development. It is a necessary element for nucleic acid synthesis, cell growth and tissue repair. It is also an indispensable nutrient in embryonic development. It is known as "the nutrient for eugenics and postnatal care" .
Folic acid deficiency will not only increase the risk of neural tube malformation , Down syndrome, congenital heart disease , cleft lip and palate and other neonatal defects, but will also cause abnormal blood coagulation, thereby increasing stroke , H-hypertension, There is a risk of venous thrombosis, so folic acid supplementation is a basic national policy in my country for women of childbearing age. It is recommended that both husband and wife supplement folic acid together. The core purpose is to prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects in the fetus.
How much folic acid is appropriate?
The 2020 version of the "Chinese Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus on Rational Clinical Folic Acid Supplementation" recommends that the general population should supplement folic acid at 0.4 mg/d starting from possible pregnancy or at least 3 months before pregnancy until 3 months of pregnancy. In other words, women who are preparing for pregnancy and pregnant, a daily supplement of 0.4 mg of folic acid is enough.
But for some women who are preparing for pregnancy, for example, there are special groups such as those with adverse pregnancy history, systemic lupus erythematosus, , antiphospholipid syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, family or personal history, and heart disease. A higher dose is required.
Isn’t the more the merrier?
The answer is no. Excessive intake of inactive folic acid will accumulate in the body, greatly reducing the activity of important natural killer cells (NK cells) in the body's immune system, leading to an increased risk of infection or tumors. Some studies have also covered up the early stages of vitamin B12 deficiency. performance, leading to adverse reactions such as damage to the nervous system and .
According to incomplete statistics, about 40%-70% of women in the Chinese population cannot metabolize folic acid. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a personalized supplement plan based on pharmacogenetic testing.
drug gene testing helps accurately supplement folic acid!
Two enzymes that play important roles in folate and homocysteine ​​metabolism and methylation reactions are methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR). Mutations in the MTHFR gene and MTRR gene will cause the activity of MTHFR and MTRR to decrease, resulting in the inability to effectively utilize folic acid and an increase in the levels of homocysteine ​​ in the blood.
uses sequencing to quickly detect functional genes related to folate metabolism disorders. The subject's folate utilization ability is graded based on the genotyping results, and the genetic defect (folate utilization ability) of the subject's folate metabolism can be directly discovered. The exact amount of folic acid supplementation varies from person to person, which can ultimately effectively reduce birth defects in newborns and health risks to pregnant mothers.
Individualized medication is part of safe and rational medication. The Pharmacy Department of Xiangyang Central Hospital has currently carried out drug gene testing mainly including clopidogrel , warfarin , aspirin, allopurinol , tac Efficacy and safety evaluation of drugs such as olimus , cyclosporine and nitroglycerin .
If you are planning to prepare for pregnancy in the near future, you can go to Xiangyang Central Hospital for a folic acid-related medication gene test to supplement folic acid scientifically and accurately!
It is a three-part poison.
No matter what medicine you take,
, you must read the drug instructions carefully before taking the medicine.
If you are unsure,
, you can consult a professional pharmacist.
About the author.
Wu Yongsen
Clinical Pharmacy Office, Department of Pharmacy, Xiangyang Central Hospital, National Health Commission Anti-infective drug treatment specialist Clinical pharmacist , mainly engaged in rational drug use evaluation, drug genetic testing and individualized report interpretation, rational drug use science, adverse drug reactions and vigilance, chronic disease drug treatment management and drug consultation wait.
If you have medication problems
you can go to the Joint Medical Clinic of Xiangyang Central Hospital.
You can also consult the online pharmacy clinic of the hospital’s Internet hospital.
Solve your medication problems without leaving home.
The joint medical clinic opens Time
Monday morning
Department of Endocrinology (4th Floor, East Building, South Campus Clinic)
Wednesday morning
Pediatrics (2nd Floor, East Building, South Campus Clinic)
Thursday morning
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (East Building, South Campus Clinic) 4th floor)
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (‍3rd Floor, East Building, South Campus Outpatient Clinic)
During this period, there is no registration fee for consultation at the outpatient departments of various departments
Contact number: 0710-3520943
