The primary reason for taking Folic Acid is to help reduce the risk of birth defects in pregnant mothers. However, folic acid provides other benefits to women of all age groups even if they’re not planning a pregnancy.
Girls can start taking Folic Acid as early as 10 years old. It helps their body grow healthy hair, skin, and nails.
From ages 13 to 19, it can help reduce the risk of colon cancer and helps prevent acne. Also, instilling the importance of Folic Acid at a young age will help girls when they’re older and decide to start trying to get pregnant.
Not only young women benefit from taking Folic Acid. The supplement can help women ages 40 and older by reducing the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, and help prevent strokes and other blood clotting problems.
A final key reason to take folic acid is unplanned pregnancies. You may not be planning on getting pregnant, but considering roughly 50% of pregnancies each year are unplanned, it’s better to be safe.
If you are planning on getting pregnant, begin taking Folic Acid before hand. Many doctors and scientists say this is the most important period for preventing neural tube defects like spina bifida.
Find more benefits of Folic Acid by clicking on the “Age Groups” tab at the top of our website.