5 Signs and Symptoms of Folic Acid Deficiency

Folic acid is said to one of the most essential nutrients for a human body. This nutrient is beneficial to humans in many ways. It can even be consumed along with other vitamins like B12 in order to increase the level of red blood cells. Folic acid has been utilized as a medication for treating several conditions like heart diseases, depression, anemia, mental problems and more. However, before trying to consume folic acid supplements a person has to counter any of these conditions and it is always necessary to consult a doctor in advance. Some of the signs and symptoms of folic acid deficiency are as follows: -

Ø  Depression or Irritability – As folic acid is important for the growth of central nervous system few people may experience several symptoms such as depression, lack of concentration, sluggishness and irritability.

Ø  Additional levels of Homocysteine – If a person consumes folic acid along with few other essential vitamins it helps in reducing the level of homocysteine. Few people with extra level of homocysteine can experience several severe conditions such as increase in cardiovascular event like heart attack.

Ø  Miscarriage and Birth Defects – Folic acid plays an important role in developing the fetus in a human body. Due to this most of the women who are about to be pregnant or are pregnant are recommended to consume folic acid supplements in addition to good sources of food containing folic acid.

Ø  Certain Cancers – It is being found that people with lower level of folic acid in their body are at a risk of developing cancer.

Ø  Loss of Appetite and Diarrhea – Several vitamin insufficiencies have been associated with gastrointestinal complaints such as diarrhea or loss of appetite.  

It is always essential to recognize why the body is actually lacking in the level of folic acid. People should always try to find out what they are eating, whether their food is rich in folic acid or not. Orange juice, salmon, soybean, green fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and spinach are some of the foods which are rich in folic acid. They should also frequently check if they are taking any prescribed drugs by the physician in order to increase levels of folic acid or to lower the levels of folic acid in the body. Oral contraceptives, antacids like Zantac, Tagamet, Pepcid and Metformin useful for diabetes, aspirin or other anti inflammatory drugs are few of the medicines used to increase the levels of folic acid in the body.    

In a study researched recently on people aged 20 and above it was stated that methylmalonic and homocysteine acid are at a higher levels in those people who include a combination of high blood folate levels and vitamin B12 insufficiency than the people who are only vitamin B12 insufficient however they have normal levels of folate. While the consumption of folic acid by women who are about to conceive or are pregnant has increased considerably, it is found to be decreasing at times according to the recent analysis performed by researchers.