Folic Acid Lowers Blood Arsenic Levels
Looks like aside from being crucial in a pregnant woman’s diet, folic acid is turning out to have many other health benefits. In the past, I’ve posted how this compound can
- possibly reduce risks of cardiovascular disease
- cut risks of cleft lip in babies
- help reduce the effects of bisphenol exposure
A more recent study also showed that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water.
Folic acid increased the methylation or detoxification of arsenic in the body, allowing the body to change some of its more toxic metabolite, or methylarsonic (MMA) acid, to a form that could more easily be excreted from the body, thus lowering the levels of arsenic found in the blood.
Nifty piece of info, just in case you’re suspicious someone’s trying to poison you 
. Seriously, though, arsenic poisoning is an all too real threat particularly in some developing countries where drinking water may be contaminated with higher-than-acceptable levels of arsenic.
