Group B vitamins work in synergy, so they are all more or less elements of each other. B complex vitamins are sensitive to heat, cooking and they are very soluble in water.

Vitamin B9 and its role in the body

Vitamin B9 has several roles and several names. When we consider its natural form, we are talking about folate. In fact, the natural vitamin B9 found in green vegetables is made up of different molecules: tetrahydrofolates, dihydrofolates and formyl tetrahydrofolates.

When vitamin B9 is synthesized for consumption as a nutritional supplement, it is called folic acid. Folic acid is a major vitamin which has to be taken during pregnancy. Vitamin B9 deficiency can lead to serious fetal malformations and premature birth. This vitamin is known to play a key role in the functioning of the nervous system. Thanks to it, the risk of spina bifida, malformation affecting newborns, is reduced by 90%.

In addition, his role in the nervous system allows him to reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's. Vitamin B9 helps the brain and nerve metabolism (especially when transmitting nerve impulses) and helps the formation of the neural tube in the fetus. It also plays a role in DNA synthesis and cell division, it is involved in protein metabolism and red blood cell production.

Vitamin B9 is recommended in the following cases:

• neural tube defects;
• prevention of cardiovascular diseases;
• depression;
• to reduce the levels of homocysteine ​​associated with kidney disease

During protein absorbtion the amino acids, methionine and homocysteine, are released, the latter is mediating methionine metabolism. Healthy individuals process homocysteine ​​in two different ways:

• the conversion of homocysteine ​​to methionine is dependent on vitamin B9 (folic acid) and vitamin B12,
• while the conversion of homocysteine ​​to the amino acid of cysteine ​​requires two vitamin B6-dependent enzymes.

Therefore, the relationship between vitamins B6 / B9 / B12 is tight, the blood concentration of homocysteine ​​is regulated by at least three vitamins: B9, B12 and B6.

Deficiency symptoms:

• anemia;
• weight loss;
• diarrhea;
• fatigue;
• epilepsy;
• headache;
• nail splitting;
• disturbances in mood and sleep;
• depression;
• growth retardation;
• hair loss;

Due to its particular fragility, the molecule can not be isolated from vitamin B9. That is why a synthetic version is created-folic acid, but it is strongly recommended to take vitamin B9 in a natural form, from natural sources. The pine pollen of New Era is just such a source.

It is suggested that synthetically synthesized vitamin B9 accelerates the division of cancer cells and increases the risk of cancer.

It is true that vitamins of Group B are pro-elements for each other, but sometimes high levels of one vitamin can mask the deficit of another.  For example, Vitamin B6, which has a dose greater than 1 mg, may mask the deficiency of vitamin B12. In fact, taking vitamin B9 in large doses can hide the classic symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Symptoms of deficiency will no longer be visible, which is dangerous. This is because vitamin B12 and vitamin В9 have metabolic pathways that intersect. Intake of high doses of vitamin B6 alters the metabolism associated with vitamin B12. If the latter is deficient, the symptoms that usually need to be manifested will be camouflaged. Thus, the deficit increases as it remains unnoticed and 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;
• enriched paste;
• beet
• pine pollen;

A good source of vitamin B9 is spinach, but part of it runs into the water in which spinach is prepared. So, depending on the amount of water used and whether the spinach is squeezed or not, more or less of the vitamin is wasted. Like the other vitamins from the group B complex B9 in a natural form is very brittle - cooking destroys a good part of it. Also green vegetables stored in the refrigerator, in just three days lose more than 50% of its content of vitamin B9.

Pasta with spinach, asparagus and nuts

 
400 gr linguine
1 bunch of asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
200 gr of spinach
50 gr goat cheese
50 gr of nuts
Salt pepper

Cook the asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes, then cool in ice water and set aside. Cook the pasta in a large volume of salt water until it is almost dry, drain well and reserve 125 ml of cooking water. In a skillet, drop spinach with olive oil and crushed garlic. Add the asparagus and the pasta with the cooking water. Serve with cheese and nuts.

1/2 cup of cooked spinach contains 139 μg of folate. 1/2  cup of asparagus  contains 134 μg. With the nuts in the recipe (1/4 cup equals 33 μg), you will get almost the recommended 400 μg per day of Vitamin B9.

Pregnant or lactating women will need to supplement their menu with something else in order to reach their higher quota.