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Manufactured folic acid, which is converted into folate by the body, is used as a dietary supplement and in food fortification as it is more stable during processing and storage. [7] Folate is required for the body to make DNA and RNA and metabolise amino acids necessary for cell division and maturation of blood cells.
For this reason, it is common in many countries (including the United States) that the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid are added back to white flour after processing. This is referred to as "enriched flour" on food labels. B vitamins are particularly concentrated in meat such as turkey, tuna and liver. [3]
The proton-coupled folate transporter is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC46A1 gene. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] The major physiological roles of PCFTs are in mediating the intestinal absorption of folate (Vitamin B9), and its delivery to the central nervous system .
A deficiency of folate can occur when the body's need for folate is increased, when dietary intake or absorption of folate is inadequate, or when the body excretes (or loses) more folate than usual. Medications that interfere with the body's ability to use folate may also increase the need for this vitamin.
Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract with the help of lipids (fats). Vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body, which can result in dangerous hypervitaminosis. Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency due to malabsorption is of particular significance in cystic fibrosis. [49]
Polysaccharidases and disaccharidases in the glycocalyx break down large sugar molecules, which are then absorbed. Glucose crosses the apical membrane of the enterocyte using the sodium-glucose cotransporter. It moves through the cytosol (cytoplasm) and exits the enterocyte via the basolateral membrane (into the blood capillary) using GLUT2.
The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ in the body but has other functions. [23] It breaks down both red and white blood cells that are spent. This is why it is sometimes known as the 'graveyard of red blood cells'. [23] A product of this digestion is the pigment bilirubin, which is sent to the liver and secreted in the bile.
Vitamin B 12 cannot be produced by the human body, and must be obtained from the diet. [2] The body normally gets enough vitamin B 12 from the consumption of foods from animal sources. [2] Inadequate dietary intake of animal products such as eggs, meat, milk, fish, fowl (and some types of edible algae) can result in a deficiency state. [135]