Folic acid

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/folic-acid

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Folic acid?1945 (synthesis of folic acid)
2. What is the chemical formula?C19H19N7O6
3. What is the primary biological role?Carrier of one-carbon units for nucleotide and amino acid metabolism
4. Why do babies need folic acid?Folic acid helps the baby's brain and spinal cord form properly in the first month of pregnancy. It can stop problems like spina bifida and anencephaly.
5. When should a woman start taking folic acid?It is best to start taking it before a pregnancy begins and keep taking it for the first 28 days of pregnancy, even before a woman knows she is pregnant.

One-Carbon Metabolism: Biochemical pathways involving the transfer of single carbon atoms, crucial for synthesis and repair.
Tetrahydrofolate (THF): The biologically active form of folate, acting as a coenzyme in one-carbon transfers.
Neural Tube Defects (NTDs): Congenital malformations of the brain and spinal cord, significantly reduced by folic acid.