Many times, women who are tying to conceive get some folic acid supplementation, recommended by their gynaecologist.
Also, In Africa, it is a common thing for a woman who had given birth before to recommend folic acid to her friends or loved ones trying to conceive.
Not many of them know the right dosage that is safe.
There are few things that you should know about this supplement that helps boost a woman’s chances of conception.
First, studies say folic acid could be helpful to women struggling to conceive. It could help prevent early pregnancy defects that can lead to miscarriage.
Also, it helps with cell metabolism throughout the body, including within your ovaries.
While that is true, there could be issues when you take this supplement without following a prescription and/or for a very long time.
Problem With Taking Folic Acid
There are different levels of impact that this supplement has on the memory of anyone who takes it.
From an animal study on the impact of folic acid on memory, we found very interesting things that you should see.
In the study, rats were offered folic acid for 30 days at different doses – 5, 10, and 15 mg/kg/day.
Interestingly, there are two sides to their findings.
At the end of the period, researchers found that folic acid could improve cognitive function at dose dependent level.
Also, the study says there was a significant decrease in memory for rats that received 15 mg/kg/day. (1).
As a result, abuse of this supplement could result in decrease in memory capacity in women who use it excessively, before during and after childbirth.
The image above is a chart showing that at 5 mg/kg/day folic acid gave best result. Furthermore, at 15 mg/kg/day, the decline sets in.
Also Read Related Articles
- Does Multivitamin Improve Memory? See What Researchers Found
- Memory Loss After Childbirth | Causes, Remedy For Mummy Brain
- Folic Acid: Should A Woman Take It Or Not? | Side Effects
- Age 20 To 34: Here Is How To Prevent Low Memory In Old Age
By inference, you could say that from 10 to 15 mg/kg/day the supplement could pose a risk to a woman’s memory.
This is especially so if she sustains use of this supplement over a long period of time.
One of the things you have to do is ensure that you follow a prescription given to you by an expert and not just someone who had taken this supplement before.
For instance, the dose that is okay for one person may be much for another person. This is why there is kg added to dosage above.