Vegetable rich in folic acid: Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, broccoli, red amaranth, lettuce, asparagus, and carrots, citrus, animal liver, egg yolk, apricot, pumpkin, avocado, and other cereals such as beans, whole wheat, rye flour, etc.
Folic acid has been widely used to prevent fetal neural tube development defects and is a special supplement for pregnant women. However, the latest research shows that folic acid is also a good thing for men to "strengthen their yang", especially for erectile dysfunction (ED) in men with diabetes.
ED is an important complication of diabetes. Statistics have shown that more than 50% of diabetes patients have ED within 10 years after the onset, while 20% of patients have diabetes only found it when they went to the hospital due to ED. A survey of more than 6700 male patients in mainland China shows that the prevalence of ED in diabetes patients is as high as 78%. For the problem of diabetes, doctors often only pay attention to food restriction, ignoring the problem of ED, or only recommend medication.
In fact, paying attention to food choices also has a significant impact on the improvement of ED. Folic acid is not only an indispensable auxiliary enzyme in the metabolism of fat and amino acids in the human body, but its main function is to assist in the production of red blood cells and prevent their degeneration. However, some medical experts have pointed out that low folate levels in men can lead to a decrease in semen concentration and sperm vitality.
A recent experiment on diabetes rat models taking folic acid shows that folate rich foods can improve the function of the cavernous body of the penis, eliminate oxidative stress in the penis, and play a therapeutic role in ED.
Guo Jun, director of the andrology department of Xiyuan Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that generally, andrology departments use drugs such as "Viagra" when treating ED. This study shows that patients should also be appropriately supplemented with folic acid, which is beneficial for treatment. Moreover, folic acid is non-toxic. Tests have shown that there are no reports of toxicity when doctors give 150 mg of folic acid to children and 450 mg of folic acid to adults every day. As a water-soluble vitamin, when taken too much, excess folic acid can flow away from the body, but taking too much can mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.
He also reminded that China's traditional dietary structure is prone to insufficient folic acid intake, and some unscientific cooking methods are also prone to damage folic acid. When cooking, cooking time should not be too long, and vegetables should not be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. High temperature and freezing can greatly reduce the amount of folic acid.
Guo Jun suggests that men who like big fish and big meat will have a nutritional imbalance if they consume too much high protein and eat too little vegetables and fruits. Eating vegetables rich in folic acid is very important for improving the complications of diabetes. For the sake of male health and becoming a true man, one should have both fruits and vegetables and meat.