Folic Acid Deficiency: Warning Signs You May Be Out of Balance

Folic acid is an essential component of the human body. Folic acid and folate are water-soluble and are actually a form of vitamin B9. We all get our folic acid from the foods we eat. Or, if your diet is not naturally rich in folate, you can take a supplement to get your levels back in order.

So why is folic acid so important? Actually, it is a primary component in the replication of DNA and cell development.

As you can imagine, if folic acid levels are below normal, it can cause serious harm to the body and pose risks for the development of certain diseases later in life. For instance, those with low levels of folic acid are at a greater risk for developing certain cancers including that of the breast, colon or pancreas.

In severe cases, those with a folic acid deficiency may develop anemia, which has been known to be associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders. Hearing loss in the elderly is also thought to be attributed to low levels of folic acid as this can cause the nerves and blood vessels of the auditory system to deteriorate.

It is also important to note that those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may be seriously affected by folic acid deficiency as the lack of the vitamin has been connected to the atrophy of the cerebral cortex, which only acts to exacerbate the symptoms of the disease or condition and further its progression much faster than normal.

So, how can you tell if you are folic acid deficient? Here are some of the most common symptoms:

-    Paranoia
-    Weight loss
-    Pale skin
-    Rapid heart beat
-    Sore tongue
-    Fatigue
-    General feeling of illness
-    Jaundice
-    Weakness

While it is serious if you have a folic acid deficiency, it does not mean that you will always have problems, always be unhealthy or end up with a serious disease. In fact, if you notice you are feeling a bit off and you go to the doctor, you may just end up taking folic acid supplements until your levels return back to normal.

Treatment can also include avoiding certain substances such as alcohol, tobacco or anything that will prevent the absorption of iron.

Those with the serious form of folic acid deficiency anemia will probably have ongoing problems despite the folic acid returning to normal levels such as infertility, increased risk for infection and heart disease.

About the author

This Article is written by Lena Butler, the author of Home Testing Blog - Testing It Up, and a constant contributor to Home Health & Drug Testing Forums, a longer version of this article is located at Folic Acid Deficiency and resources from other Home Health and Wellness articles are used.

Additional articles in Weight-Loss

Health Software (PRM) Increasing abuse of Soma How to beat the classic diet traps. Fast weight loss Adolescent Treatment Centers- a ray of hope for the addict teens A new approval of UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) "Burn The Fat" - Diet Program Review The 2 Most Common Mistakes People do When Building 6 Pack Abs The 2 Most Common Mistakes People do When Building 6 Pack Abs Psychological Obesity Treatment Is Secret To Improving Obesity Surgery Success Rates Psychic tests to check your Psychic Ability Buy Adipex from Online Pharmacy-PillsforAll.com About Appetite Suppressors to Help Reduce Weight How to Increase Your Fat and Sugar Burning to Aid Weight Loss Magnesium: Are You Lacking It? Keeping Tabs on Homocysteine: Prevention, Testing and Treatment Why Elevated Levels of Homocysteine Are Bad For Your Health All About Manganese: Why Keeping It In Check Is Vital To Your Health All About Folic Acid: Why You Need Folic Acid and How to Keep It Give Up killer smoking Ideas for a Hydrospa in Spain Hot Tub Reap the benefits of quitting smoking with Chantix Injury to my right knee Overweight: Get fantastic results by using acomplia Win weightloss battle with diet pills How to Lose Weight the Easy Way The Reason Diets Fail You The Art of Dieting Test Drive Your Diet Plan Over The Holidays Fighting Fat with Phentermine Is Your Diet Plan Hurting Your Kids? Is Excess Weight or Excessive Weightlifting Causing Deadly High Blood Pressure For You? Two-fer Dieting: A Hot Way to Lose Weight... And Breathe Easier Effective Slimming - Practicle Advices Fundamentals of acupuncture Adipex as an Aid Can't Lose Weight? It's Time to Stop Feeding Your Demons The Perfect Diet Leave your weight worries to Phendimetrazine Phendimetrazine – Another effective medicine for your overweight Phentermine: effective treatment for obesity Be your own boss at managing your fitness Green tea, Weight Loss and More! Understanding Over-weight - How to Successfully Get slim Get a fresh lease of life with Phentermine Weight Loss Success How Mood and Food Affects Weight Loss Eat More, Weigh Less Lose Weight: Attack The Snacks Lose Weight Cycling

Please Rate This Article

Select Rating Excellent Very Good Interesting Fair Could Use Improvement

Number of ratings: 0
Rating: 0