nutrition lecture no 4

FOLIC ACID
&VIT-B12

Dr. Maseer Khan

FOLIC
ACID
 HISTORY
• Researcher Lucy wills’ observation about
70 years ago led to the discovery of folate
• Demonstrated that anemia may be
corrected by yeast extract
• In late 1930s,folate was identified as the
corrective substance
• Finally,extracted from spinach in 1941
• Folate =folium {Latin}
 WHAT IS FOLIC ACID?
• Also called vitB-9,it’s a water soluble
vitamin
• Chemically ,it’s pteroyl glutamic acid[PGA]
• PGA=pteroic acid+{glutamic acid} 1-7

• Pteroic acid=pteridine+PABA
• So Folic acid=pteridine+PABA+{glutamic
acid}
1-7

• Structure established by Angier in 1941

 SOURCES
LIVER
GREEN
LEAFY MEAT
VEGETABLES

FORTIFIED
FOODS MILK MODERATE
FOLICACID
SOURCES
RICH
SOURCES
CEREALS
YEAST
CEREALS DAIRYPDTS.
PULSES
FOLIA EGGS

FRUITS EGGS

OVER COOKING DESTROYS MOST OF THE FOLIC ACID IN FOOD

HEAT STERILIZED MILK CAN CAUSE FOLATE DEFICIENCY IN BABIES
 STATES OF FOLATE
NUTRITION
• 3 states of folate nutrition
folate adequacy

Impending folate deficiency

overt folate deficiency

WHO/FAO Expert
committee 1988
CAUSES OF FOLATE
DEFICIENCY
• PREGNANCY&LACTATION
• CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS –Nearly 50% of them
• MALABSORPTION
• KIDNEY DIALYSIS
• DRUGS-like anticonvulsants, metformin
• CERTAIN LIVER DISEASES
• HEMOLYTIC ANEMIAS
• DIETARY DEFICIENCY- prolonged absence of
vegetables from
diet in
Indians
 Effects of folate deficiency

1. Macrocytic anemia

2. Hyper-homo cystienemia

3. Birth defects: like Spina Bifida

4. GIT manifestations

5. Cancer
Folate & foetus
 Folate prophylaxis in
pregnancy
• One tablet each of 60mg elementary Fe &
500mcg folic acid for 100 days daily during
pregnancy to prevent nutritional anemia in the
mother & neural tube defects in the growing
fetus
• Dosage of elementary Fe has been raised to
100mg, but folic acid dose remains 500mcg
 Folate requirement
Age group Estimated average RDI
requirement {mcg/day}
{mcg/day}
0-6 months 65 80
7-12 months 65 80
1-3 years 120 160
4-6 years 160 200
7-9 years 250 300
10-18 years 300 400
19-65 years &above 320 400
pregnancy 520 600
lactation 450 500
US Academy of
sciences{1998}
cobalamin
 What is cobalamin?
• Also called vitamin-B12,it’s a water soluble vitamin

• Heat stable&red in color

• George minot isolated VIT B-12 in 1948

• Dorothy hodgkin suggested this structure through

X-ray diffraction studies in 1949

• Robert woodward synthesised B-12 &proved the
structure
B-12 simplified
 sources

LIVER

ABOUT
CHEESE KIDNEY
4 MG OF
VIT B-12
IS STORED B-12 IS
IN LIVER& VIT B-12 NOT FOUND
OTHER BODY IN FOODS
MILK MEAT
PARTS OF PLANT
SUFFICIENT ORIGIN
FORABOUT
1-3 EGGS FISH
YEARS

INTESTINAL BACTERIA SYNTHESISE B-12

 Dietary requirements
age group estimated average RDI
requirement{mcg/day}
{mcg/day}
0-6months 0.32 0.4
7-12months 0.32 0.5
1-3 years 0.7 0.9
4-6 years 1 1.2
7-9 years 1.5 1.8
10-18 years 2 2.4
19-65years&above 2 2.4
pregnancy 2.2 2.6
lactation 2.4 2.8

US
academy
of sciences
 B-12&pregnancy
• 0.1-0.2mcg/day B-12 is transferred to the
fetus during the last 2 trimesters of
pregnancy
• 0.1-0.2 mcg/day of B-12 is accumulated by the
fetus
• So,0.2mcg B-12 is added to RDI of adults to
arrive at the RDI of pregnant women[2.4+0.2]
• Children born to women deficient in Vit B-12
develop clinical signs of B-12 deficiency like
neuropathy
 Causes of Vit. B 12 deficiency
1. Nutritional deficiency

2. Malabsorption syndrome

3. Elderly people

4. Pernicious anemia

5. Gastric atrophy

6. Fish tapeworm

7. Pregnancy
 DEFICIENCY MANIFESTATIONS

• Anemia ,fatigue,weakness,constipation
Wt loss,loss of appetite, sore mouth
• Numbness& tingling in extremities
• Depression ,confusion, dementia
• Infancy-failure to thrive,movement
disorders,delayed development&
megaloblastic anemia
Thank you