Folic acid deficiency is the most common vitamin B deficiency according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre. Folic acid is important for mental wellbeing, growth, regulation of red blood cell formation as well as assisting other B vitamins in other maintenance tasks in our bodies. A deficiency of folic acid can therefore lead to a number of different symptoms such as stunted growth, shortness of breath and "mental sluggishness".
The University of Maryland Medical Centre also mentions the following symptoms of folic acid deficiency, "folic acid deficiency can cause poor growth, tongue inflammation, gingivitis, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, diarrhea, irritability, forgetfulness and mental sluggishness".
Pregnancy is also a particularly crucial time to watch one's intake of folic acid. As the baby is drawing folic acid from the mother, the mother could often become deficient in this vitamin and folic acid deficiency in pregnancy results in symptoms such as an increased risk for neural tube defects such as cleft palate, spina bifida and brain damage. "Neural tube defects are birth defects caused by abnormal development of the neural tube," says the University of Maryland's Medical Centre, "a structure that eventually gives rise to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord)."
Folic acid deficiency may also result in higher homocysteine levels, which in turn results in diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer's, depression as well as possible connection to osteoporosis and Down's syndrome.
I order to prevent folic acid deficiency and the symptoms and diseases associated with it, it is important to ensure that you are getting enough folic acid in your diet or through supplementation. Folic acid may be found in dark green, leafy vegetables; asparagus, turnip, beet, brussels sprouts, lima beans, soy beans, beef liver, brewer's yeast, root vegetables, whole grains, as well as a number of other foods. If you are taking a folic acid supplementation it is highly recommended that you take a supplement containing all the B Vitamins in order to prevent the masking of Vitamin B12 deficiency caused by folic acid.
Folic acid deficiency is one of the most common B vitamin deficiencies. This deficiency can result in symptoms such as poor growth, inflammation, loss of appetite, shortness of breath as well as a number of other symptoms. In addition folic acid deficiency in pregnancy could lead to problems such as spina bifida, cleft palate and brain damage in the baby. It is highly recommended to increase the intake of folic acid through natural dietary means or if you take a folic acid supplement to also take a good supplement containing other B vitamins, especially vitamin B12.
Glossary:
Homocysteine: an amino acid in the body which, when present in too high levels, can lead to various diseases including heart disease, depression, Alzheimer's and a number of others.