Vitamin M is also known as folic acid, folate, and folatin. It appears on the ingredient list in many multi-vitamin products and is added to a number of food products. This vitamin is important to women of childbearing years, since it plays a role in prevention of neural tube defects in a developing fetus. Vitamin M may also help to prevent early miscarriage.
Consumers who are looking for vitamin M on foodstuffs should check the label carefully. It can be found on items containing wheat, including cereals, bread, pasta and crackers. This ingredient may also be found in green leafy vegetables. Good sources of folic acid include lettuce, spinach, broccoli, bananas, and melons.
Other good dietary sources of folic acid include organ meats like beef liver and kidneys. Eating mushrooms and beans can also help to provide the body with vitamin M. Drinking orange or tomato juice gives the body a good source of vitamins C and M, and adding the sunshine vitamin into the mix means the body is able to absorb the folic acid more readily.
Women who are planning to conceive can benefit from taking vitamin M before they start trying to get pregnant. Making an appointment with a physician to discuss reproductive plans and to ask about the recommended dose of folic acid is a good strategy. The level contained in a standard multivitamin may not be high enough to prevent disorders like spina bifida, which occurs when the developing fetus’s spine does not fully close before birth. It’s important to get an adequate amount of folic acid before conception since the baby’s spine will be developed before woman can have her condition confirmed by a doctor.
Since taking folic acid can help to lower the risk of birth defects, taking Vitamin M regularly may play a role in preventing early miscarriage. Many women lose a child in the first weeks of pregnancy and while there may never be a full explanation of why this occurs, a defect in the developing child is the most probable reason.
Eating a balanced diet which includes a number of Vitamin M-rich foods can help increase the likelihood of a woman having a healthy baby. All women who may become pregnant should take steps to ensure they are getting enough of this important nutrient. Consuming it as a supplement, either on its own or in a multivitamin, is a wise strategy.
