Are You Getting Too Much Folic Acid? Why It Matters
B vitamins are essential for good health. In fact, there are eight different B vitamins, each with a slightly different function in your body. One of their many activities that B vitamins take part in is energy metabolism.
In other words, B-vitamins play an ancillary, but still mandatory role, in chemical reactions that your body uses to make energy and sustain life.
Because of the importance of B vitamins, the idea has been perpetuated, mostly by vitamin companies, that more B vitamins are better. As you’ll soon see, that’s not always the case. One of the B vitamins, folic acid, may be particularly problematic if you take it in supplement form.
First, let’s look at what folic acid does and then we’ll look more closely at why too much folic acid is a problem.
What Does Folic Acid Do?
Folic acid (not the same as folate as you’ll soon see) plays a critical role in keeping you healthy. As mentioned, you need it for energy and for cells to divide and reproduce. It also participates in the production of red blood cells.
To divide, cells have to replicate their DNA and without enough folate, they can’t easily do that. What happens if you don’t get enough?
