The B group vitamins work in synergy, so each of them is more or less a pro-element for the others. B-complex vitamins are sensitive to heat and cooking, and highly soluble in water.
Vitamin B9 and its role in the body
Vitamin B9 has several roles and several names. When we mean its natural form, we speak of folate. The natural vitamin B9 found in green vegetables is in fact made up of different molecules: tetrahydrofolates, dihydrofolates and formyltetrahydrofolates.
When vitamin B9 is synthesised to be taken as a supplement, it is called folic acid. Folic acid is an essential vitamin during pregnancy. A B9 deficiency can lead to serious malformations of the foetus and to premature birth. The vitamin is known to play a key role in the functioning of the nervous system; thanks to it, the risk of spina bifida, a malformation affecting newborns, falls by 90%.
Its role in the nervous system also allows it to reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's. Vitamin B9 supports brain and nerve metabolism — particularly the transmission of nerve impulses — and enables the formation of the neural tube in the foetus. It also plays a part in DNA synthesis and cell division, and takes part in protein metabolism and the formation of red blood cells.
Vitamin B9 is recommended in the following cases
- neural tube defects
- prevention of cardiovascular disease
- depression
- lowering homocysteine levels associated with kidney disease
During protein absorption, the amino acids methionine and homocysteine are released, the latter being an intermediary in methionine metabolism. Healthy individuals process homocysteine in two different ways:
- the conversion of homocysteine into methionine depends on vitamin B9 (folic acid) and vitamin B12;
- while the conversion of homocysteine into the amino acid cysteine requires two enzymes that depend on vitamin B6.
The link between vitamins B6, B9 and B12 is therefore a close one: the blood concentration of homocysteine is regulated by at least three vitamins — B9, B12 and B6.
Symptoms of deficiency
- anaemia
- weight loss
- diarrhoea
- fatigue
- epilepsy
- headache
- splitting nails
- disturbances of mood and sleep
- depression
- slowed growth
- hair loss
Because the molecule is so fragile, it cannot be isolated from vitamin B9. That is why a synthetic version — folic acid — was created; but it is strongly recommended to take vitamin B9 in its natural form, from natural sources. Pine pollen from New Era is exactly such a source.
It is thought that synthetically produced vitamin B9 accelerates the division of cancer cells and increases the risk of cancer.
It is true that the B group vitamins are pro-elements for one another, but sometimes high levels of one vitamin can mask a deficiency of another. Vitamin B9 in a dose greater than 1 mg, for example, can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency. Taking large doses of B9 can hide the classic symptoms of B12 deficiency — the symptoms are no longer visible, which is dangerous. This happens because vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 have metabolic pathways that intersect. High doses of B9 change the metabolism linked to B12; if the latter is deficient, the symptoms that would normally appear are masked. The deficiency then grows, because it goes unnoticed, and the damage can become very serious and sometimes irreversible.
Sources of B9
Folic acid is found mainly in the following foods:
- liver (lamb, veal, beef)
- broccoli
- orange juice
- legumes
- romaine lettuce
- nuts
- spinach
- roasted sunflower seeds
- fortified pasta
- beetroot
- pine pollen
Spinach is a good source of vitamin B9, but part of it leaches into the water it is cooked in. So depending on how much water is used and whether the spinach is drained, more or less of the vitamin is lost. Like the other B-complex vitamins, B9 in its natural form is very fragile — cooking destroys a good part of it. Green vegetables kept in the fridge lose more than 50% of their vitamin B9 content in just three days.
Recipe: pasta with spinach, asparagus and nuts
400 g linguine
a bunch of asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
200 g spinach
50 g goat's cheese
50 g nuts
salt and pepper to taste
Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes, then cool it in iced water. Cook the pasta in salted water, drain well and keep a little of the water (about 120–130 ml) for the sauce. In a pan, wilt the spinach with the olive oil and crushed garlic. Add the asparagus and the pasta with the reserved cooking water. Serve with the cheese and nuts.
Half a cup of cooked spinach contains 139 µg of folate. Half a cup of asparagus contains 134 µg. With the nuts in the recipe (a quarter cup equals 33 µg), you get close to the recommended 400 µg of vitamin B9 per day.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women will need to add something else to the menu to reach their higher quota.
