The Importance of Vitamin B9 and Its Benefits for the Body

To maintain the correct balance of nutrients in our body, it is necessary to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. To learn a little more about those very necessary nutrients, today we are going to focus on the importance of vitamin B9.

What is vitamin B9?

When we talk about vitamin B9 present in foods, we are talking about 'folates'. Folates are fragile forms of vitamin B9 that do not exist as a food supplement, as they would not withstand transport or storage.

• A synthetic form of this vitamin is found in folic acid. This molecule is partially transformed into vitamin B9 in the body, and the part that is not transformed remains in the blood, where we can observe it through analysis.
• To avoid possible toxicity, preference should be given to 'methylfolate', another more modern form of vitamin B9 that is fully transformed in the body. We can find it under other names: calcium L-methylfolate, folinic acid, calcium folinate, 5-MTHF and methyltetrahydrofolate, among others.

Where is vitamin B9 found?

First of all, it should be borne in mind that the recommended daily intake of vitamin B9 is 400 ug. We can find it in the following foods (per 100 g of food):

• LAMB OR BEEF LIVER................................................ 400 ug
• LEGUMES (legumes, beans, peas...) cooked................. 229-368 ug
• LEEKS............................................................... 366 ug
• COOKED PEPPER..................................................... 229 ug
• RAW SPINACH....................................................... 194 ug
• COOKED SPINACH.................................................... 139 ug
• RAW ASPARAGUS.................................................... 191 ug
• COOKED ASPARAGUS................................................. 134 ug

• RAW ENDIVES....................................................... 142 ug
• COOKED BROCCOLI................................................... 89 ug

On many occasions it can be difficult to have good intakes of this vitamin in our body. This is because it is found mostly in green leafy vegetables, as I have indicated in the table above, and these are often consumed little, bearing in mind that freezing, preservation and cooking at high temperatures deteriorate them.

In which cases is vitamin B9 supplementation necessary?

1. Pregnancy

Supplementation with this vitamin is needed from the moment pregnancy is being considered, as it is necessary for the proper functioning of the foetus, placenta and maternal tissues, as well as closure of the neural tube. The latter is extremely important, as it can cause abnormalities in the brain and spinal cord, which could lead to paralysis, sensory disorders, incontinence and malformations of the spine and vertebrae. In addition, vitamin B9 deficiency during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism or schizophrenia. Supplementing with vitamin B9 during pregnancy, reduces the risk of premature birth, increases the baby’s birth weight and reduces the risk of heart malformations in the baby by 20%.

2. Persistent chronic depression

The cause of these problems may be a low vitamin B9 level. In this case, supplementation of 500 ug a day would increase the effects of antidepressant medicines and improve bipolar disorders.

3. Oxidative stress

This vitamin counteracts oxidative stress and problems linked to smoking, alcohol or polluted environments that favour cellular ageing or the early appearance of health problems. Thanks to supplementation with this vitamin, it protects DNA and therefore the risk of suffering cancer in the long term.

4. Cardiovascular problems

Vitamin B9 acts by correcting the poor dilation of blood vessels that occurs with age, so it would help slow the progress of arteriosclerosis. It also helps reduce mortality from stroke (CVA).

5. Chronic anaemia

In most cases, taking iron is not enough to raise red blood cell levels again, and this may be due to a deficiency of this vitamin or vitamin B12, two essential elements for producing red blood cells. Therefore, daily supplementation with 400 ug of vitamin B9 is recommended, in all the cases described, except in chronic depression or when treatment for depression is not effective, where it would be necessary to increase it to 500 ug as the recommended daily amount to notice its beneficial effects.