Folic acid and folate are B vitamins (they are in fact referred to as vitamin B9). They have long been recognized as essential in the prevention of some birth defects. Folate deficiency before conception and during the early stages of pregnancy significantly increases the risk of developing birth defects, particularly neural tube defects (NTD) such as spina bifida (defect involving the spinal cord) or anencephaly (defect in which the brain does not develop).
Our body uses folate to make new cells. Vitamin B9, through mechanisms not yet fully understood, is essential for DNA synthesis and is particularly important for actively growing and differentiating tissues, such as embryonic tissues. Furthermore, folates are involved in the metabolism of homocysteine (sulfur-containing amino acid) and methionine (an essential amino acid that cannot be produced by our body but is only introduced with diet). A folate deficiency can lead to high levels of homocysteine (hyperhomocysteinemia), which appears to be involved in oxidative stress and dysfunction of endothelial cells (vessel lining cells). Vitamin B9 is also involved in the formation of red blood cells, which are responsible for transporting oxygen and some carbon dioxide (CO2) to and from the tissues.
