Who is at risk for folic acid deficiency?

Folate deficiency is most commonly found in pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, people following restricted diets due to weight-loss regimes or medical conditions, people with alcohol dependence and people more than 65 years of age.


Who is at greatest risk for folate deficiency anemia?

Who is most at risk of developing folate deficiency anemia?
  • Assigned female at birth (AFAB) and childbearing age.
  • Excessive alcohol use.
  • Older age (over 60).
  • Poverty.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding (chestfeeding).


What are the risk factors for folic acid?

Who Is at Risk for Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia?
  • eating overcooked foods.
  • consuming a vitamin-poor diet.
  • heavy alcohol drinking (alcohol interferes with folate absorption)
  • medical conditions (like sickle cell disease)
  • medications.
  • pregnancy.


Which populations are at the highest risk of a folate deficiency?

Two groups were most likely to consume inadequate folate (below the recommended dietary allowance): women of childbearing age (17-19%) and non-Hispanic black women (23%).

What underlying conditions cause low folate?

You may lose folate from your body if you urinate frequently. This can be caused by an underlying condition that affects one of your organs, such as: congestive heart failure – where the heart is unable to pump enough blood around the body. acute liver damage – often caused by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.


Folate deficiency | What are the symptoms of low folic acid? | Harmful effects of Folate deficiency



What blocks folic acid absorption?

Intestinal surgeries or digestive disorders that cause malabsorption. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease can decrease the absorption of folate. Surgeries involving the digestive organs or that reduce the normal level of stomach acid may also interfere with absorption.

Which is one of the first symptoms of folate deficiency?

Folate deficiency occurs when your body doesn't get enough folate. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, mouth sores and neurological issues. Folate deficiency can be prevented by eating a diet rich in foods that contain folate.

What is one of the most common reasons contributing to folic acid deficiency?

Folate deficiency caused by a lack of dietary folate is more common in people who have a generally unbalanced and unhealthy diet, people who regularly misuse alcohol, and people following a fad diet that does not involve eating good sources of folate.


What causes folic acid deficiency in adults?

You don't eat enough foods that have folic acid. These include green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, fortified cereals, yeast, and meats (including liver). You drink too much alcohol. You have certain diseases of the lower digestive tract, such as celiac disease.

Can folate deficiency run in families?

Hereditary folate malabsorption (HFM) is an inherited disorder of folate transport characterized by a systemic and central nervous system (CNS) folate deficiency manifesting as megaloblastic anemia, failure to thrive, diarrhea and/or oral mucositis, immunologic dysfunction and neurological disorders.

How common is folic acid deficiency?

Both vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency are more common in older people, affecting around 1 in 10 people aged 75 or over and 1 in 20 people aged 65 to 74.


What happens when folate levels are low?

Not eating enough folate can lead to a deficiency in just a few weeks. Deficiency may also occur if you have a condition or genetic mutation that prevents your body from absorbing or converting folate to its usable form. Folate deficiency can cause anemia. Anemia is a condition in which you have too few RBCs.

What causes low B12 and folate?

Vitamin deficiency anemia is a lack of healthy red blood cells caused by lower than usual amounts of vitamin B-12 and folate. This can happen if you don't eat enough foods containing vitamin B-12 and folate, or if your body has trouble absorbing or processing these vitamins.

What disease prevents folate?

When the baby is developing early during pregnancy, folic acid helps form the neural tube. Folic acid is very important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida). The neural tube forms the early brain and spine.


Is low folic acid serious?

Most cases of this type of anemia are easily treated. Severe effects are rare. But if you've been without folate for a long time, your risk of having some types of cancer and heart disease goes up. You might also find it harder to get pregnant.

What causes poor immune response in folate deficiency?

Cell-mediated immunity is especially affected by folate deficiency: the blastogenic response of T lymphocytes to certain mitogens is decreased in folate-deficient humans and animals, and the thymus is preferentially altered.

Does low folic acid cause weight gain?

Background: The link between folate metabolism and obesity has recently been underlined, suggesting that folate deficiency may lead to body weight gain and adiposity.


Is B12 the SAMe as folic acid?

Your body needs vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, and folate, also called folic acid, to function normally. Both nutrients play important roles in creating red blood cells and making DNA and RNA to help build cells. B-12 also helps your nervous system function as it should.

Is B12 the SAMe as folate?

Vitamin B12 works closely with vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid, to help make red blood cells and to help iron work better in the body. Folate and B12 work together to produce S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), a compound involved in immune function and mood.

What medications deplete folate?

A number of drugs such as aminopterin, methotrexate (amethopterin), pyrimethamine, trimethoprim and triamterene act as folate antagonists and produce folate deficiency by inhibiting this enzyme.


What foods destroy folate?

Eating overcooked fruits and vegetables. Folate can be easily destroyed by heat.

Does caffeine interfere with folic acid?

Caffeine is responsible for the homocysteine-increasing effects of coffee. These data suggest that a high caffeine intake would affect the bioavailability of folic acid and reduce serum folic acid levels.

What is the difference between folate and folic acid?

The terms “folic acid” and “folate” often are used interchangeably. However, folate is a general term used to describe the many different forms of vitamin B9: folic acid, dihydrofolate (DHF), tetrahydrofolate (THF), 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (5, 10-MTHF), and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) 1.


What does low B12 feel like?

Key points about vitamin B12 deficiency anemia

Without enough oxygen, your body can't work as well. Symptoms include weak muscles, numbness, trouble walking, nausea, weight loss, irritability, fatigue, and increased heart rate. Treatment may include vitamin B12 supplements.

What medical conditions cause B12 deficiency?

Atrophic gastritis, in which your stomach lining has thinned. Pernicious anemia, which makes it hard for your body to absorb vitamin B12. Conditions that affect your small intestine, such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth, or a parasite.