Folate (Vitamin B9) Deficiency
Folate (Vitamin B9), or folic acid in its synthetic form, plays a crucial role in the body’s production of new cells, including the oxygen-carrying red blood cells. When the body doesn’t get enough folic acid, a disease called folate deficiency may occur. Folate deficiency can also lead to anemia. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, tingling in the feet, and even trouble to breathe.
Folate, alongside vitamin B12, are necessary for cellular energy generation and the development, maintenance, and repair of muscle tissue during exercise. This helps develop new cells and tissues and fix the damaged ones. Because of this, folate deficiency can cause muscle spasms, weakness and difficulty walking. Patients may sometimes feel neurologic symptoms such as numbness, burning, or itching in their hands and feet.
A folate deficiency may develop if the body has trouble absorbing or converting folate into a usable form due to an underlying health condition or a genetic mutation.
Treatment entails increasing dietary folate intake. Foods and drinks rich in folate include green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits. Supplements containing 400 mcg of folate per day are suggested to maintain optimal health.
