Water Spinach can boost Folic Acid levels UPSC Current Affairs

Description

Folic Acid

Source: DowntoEarth

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Context

According to Taiwan-based research organisation World Vegetable Centre, water spinach is a vital source of folic acid.

Details

What is folic acid?

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is a B vitamin supplement that may be used to prevent and treat low blood levels of folate that can cause megaloblastic anemia.
Folic acid may also be used to control high levels of homocysteine, prevent serious birth defects in pregnant women.
Vitamin B9 plays a crucial role in healthy red blood cell production and is also vital for cell growth, repair, and DNA synthesis.
Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body, and folate deficiency can lead to a type of anemia called folate-deficiency anemia.

Folate vs folic acid

Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 found in various foods.
Folic acid is the man-made form of vitamin B9 created in a laboratory that is added to fortified foods or used as a supplement.
Folic acid is more stable and easier to absorb than naturally occurring folate in food.
When you take folic acid, your body turns it into folate.

Water Spinach

It is known as kalmi saag in West Bengal, naari ka saag in Uttar Pradesh, nalichi-bhaji in Marathi and sarkaraivalli in Tamil.
Scientific name: Ipomoea aquatica
It is a green leafy vegetable belonging to the family Convolvulaceae, identifiable by its trumpet-shaped flowers.
Native to tropics and subtropics, this semi-aquatic perennial plant is believed to have been the first domesticated in Southeast Asia.
The plant is a source of beta carotene, calcium, vitamin E and iron. And ascorbic acid.
In southeast Asian nations like Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia, the plant is mostly grown commercially, while in the United States and India, it grows in the wild as weed.
In India, it grows along the paddy fields, ponds and rivers, and is available around the monsoon season in July and August.
The plant is relatively easy to grow because it requires little care and flourishes naturally in waterways.
It has to be ensured that the water used is not saline or stagnant.
Harvesting of water spinach can start two to three months after planting.

Important Vitamins

Vitamin	Common Name	Solubility	Sources	Deficiency Disease
*Vitamin A*	Retinol	Fat-soluble	Carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, liver	Night blindness, keratomalacia
*Vitamin B1*	Thiamine	Water-soluble	Whole grains, pork, fish, nuts, peas	Beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
*Vitamin B2*	Riboflavin	Water-soluble	Eggs, lean meats, dairy products, green vegetables	Ariboflavinosis (cracked lips, sore throat)
*Vitamin B3*	Niacin	Water-soluble	Meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, legumes	Pellagra (diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia)
*Vitamin B6*	Pyridoxine	Water-soluble	Fish, liver, potatoes, non-citrus fruits	Anemia, peripheral neuropathy
*Vitamin B7*	Biotin	Water-soluble	Eggs, nuts, whole grains, soybeans	Hair loss, dermatitis
*Vitamin B9*	Folic Acid	Water-soluble	Leafy greens, legumes, seeds, liver	Megaloblastic anemia, birth defects (neural tube)
*Vitamin B12*	Cobalamin	Water-soluble	Meat, fish, dairy products, eggs	Pernicious anemia, neurological issues
*Vitamin C*	Ascorbic Acid	Water-soluble	Citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers	Scurvy (bleeding gums, joint pain)
*Vitamin D*	Calciferol	Fat-soluble	Sunlight, fortified milk, fatty fish	Rickets (children), osteomalacia (adults)
*Vitamin E*	Tocopherol	Fat-soluble	Nuts, seeds, spinach, vegetable oils	Hemolytic anemia, nerve damage
*Vitamin K*	Phylloquinone	Fat-soluble	Leafy greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts	Bleeding disorders due to impaired clotting

Sources: DowntoEarth

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q: Consider the following diseases:

Megaloblastic anemia
Pernicious anemia
Osteomalacia

Which of the above diseases are caused by Vitamin B deficiency?

A. 1 and 2

B. 2 and 3

C. None

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A

Explanation:

Megaloblastic anemia is most often due to hypovitaminosis, specifically vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and folate deficiencies, which are necessary for the synthesis of DNA.

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune condition that happens when your immune system produces antibodies that attack cells in the mucosal lining of your stomach and nerve cells. Your immune system's response affects your body's ability to absorb vitamin B12.

Osteomalacia describes a disorder of “bone softening” in adults that is usually due to prolonged deficiency of vitamin D. This deficiency results in abnormal osteoid mineralization. In contrast, rickets results from deficient mineralization at the cartilage of growth plates in children.