Folic acid is sometimes jokingly called the "vitamin of optimists." This substance has an effect on the nervous system, the production of hemoglobin, appetite, and immunity. Folic acid belongs to the group of vitamins B and its deficiency is a serious test for the whole organism.
The role of folate in the metabolism and functioning of the central nervous system
Vitamin B 9 , or folic acid, is responsible for the recovery of old and the formation of new blood cells. This ensures that the hemoglobin level is maintained at a level sufficient for a healthy metabolism. In hemoglobin cells, protein production occurs. And he is needed to give the body iron, without which iron deficiency anemia develops.
Folic acid is essential for a healthy metabolism. Fat and carbohydrate metabolism is not possible with a serious lack of vitamin B9. If folic acid deficiency, the symptoms of which are obvious, occurs in people with diabetes mellitus, they begin obesity due to impaired fat metabolism.
Folic acid is synthesized by the body in an insignificant amount - so it is so important to get a sufficient amount of this vitamin from food or dietary supplements.
Symptoms of folic acid deficiency
An experienced endocrinologist will quickly suggest a deficiency of vitamin B 9 from just one look at the patient (of course, this guess will have to be confirmed using laboratory tests):
- pallor of the skin;
- lethargy, stoop, lack of vitality in the patient;
- unnatural thinness or, conversely, obesity;
- irritability, depression, unmotivated aggression;
- characteristic blue shadows under the eyes with a general pallor of the face;
- tremor of limbs, nervous tic, twitching of lips and eyelids;
- rosacea on the skin of the face;
- acne, acne, psoriasis, vitiligo on the skin of the face and hands;
- rapid fatigue, trouble sleeping.
Symptoms of a lack of folic acid in a woman’s body are different in that the hormonal status can make some adjustments to the usual clinical picture. A woman may not experience overwork - but, on the contrary, be overly full of energy. this condition occurs, for example, with a combination of hyperthyroidism with a deficiency of B 9 . Such symptoms of folic acid deficiency are very individual and can radically differ in each female patient. Someone is anxious, and someone, on the contrary, is overly calm. The combination of vitamin deficiency and hormonal problems often creates an unpredictable clinical picture.
Causes of folic acid deficiency in the body
The main reason is malnutrition. Coffee for breakfast, instant noodles for lunch, a burger for dinner: such food disables the human body very quickly. To prevent a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, it is necessary that vegetables, fruits, veal, chicken, quail and chicken eggs, cottage cheese, kefir, milk, home-cooked fish are daily present in the diet. With proper nutrition, the symptoms of folic acid deficiency will never affect a person.
The second common cause is alcohol abuse. Ethanol leaches folic acid stores, causing the liver to expend it on the body's intoxication needs. People who drink alcohol more than once a week are guaranteed to experience symptoms of folic acid deficiency.
The next reason - problems with the functioning of the intestines: colitis, ulcers, polyps, erosion. These diseases lead to interruptions in the absorption of beneficial components in the blood. Thalassemia destroys normal red blood cell metabolism. As a result, the transit of the beneficial substance into the circulatory system and to the tissues of organs is inhibited.
Pregnancy also requires an increased amount of folic acid in the diet, since the embryo, with development and growth, "takes" from the mother about 60% of the total amount of folic acid in the body.
B9 deficiency medications
We examined the main causes and symptoms of folic acid deficiency in the body. The treatment of such conditions is not one day. It is important not only to fill the vitamin deficiency, but also to maintain it at the proper level, to eat right. What do doctors usually prescribe?
You can take in its pure form the drug "Folic Acid" from the domestic pharmacological company "MosFarm" or choose multivitamin complexes. The most popular of them, designed to make up for the lack of folic acid in the body (the causes of the deficiency are improper nutrition), are as follows:
- "Supradin" is a vitamin-mineral complex produced in the form of dragees and effervescent tablets for dissolution in water. The cost of packaging is from five hundred to seven hundred rubles. One tablet contains 20 mg of folic acid. In addition to vitamin B 9 , the drug contains the necessary daily intake of all other vitamins of group B, calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, zinc, manganese, and iron.
- "Doppelherz Active from A to Zinc" - multivitamins that are suitable for men, women, adolescents. The cost for packaging (which is enough for a month of admission) is about four hundred rubles. The complex contains the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals for a person with moderate physical activity, which is relatively rarely subjected to stress and unrest.
- Alphabet Classic is a complex multivitamin complex that satisfies the need not only for folic acid, but also for all other B vitamins, minerals (calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, zinc, manganese, iron).
- Vitrum Beauty is a vitamin and mineral complex that was created specifically for people with problem skin. One tablet contains 30 mg of folic acid, as well as a complete set of B vitamins and brewer's yeast extract. The multicomponent composition "Vitrum Beauty" has a healing effect on the skin and can help in the fight against folic acid deficiency.
Of course, prevention is extremely important, but we'll talk about this a bit later.
The consequences of folate deficiency in the diet
What threatens folic acid deficiency? Here are the most common consequences of this condition:
- insomnia, problems with sleep phases;
- depression, dysphoria, asthenia, depression;
- increased anxiety and unmotivated aggression;
- violation of the gastrointestinal tract;
- the development of peptic ulcer;
- problems with the absorption of iron and, as a result, anemia;
- in men - infertility, impotence;
- in women, folate deficiency complicates the course of diseases associated with hormone imbalance.
Iron deficiency anemia due to folic acid deficiency
Iron deficiency anemia is a common condition that develops due to an imbalance in vitamin B 9 in adults and children. Chronic folate deficiency can not only cause irritability and excess weight, but also lead to serious diseases of the internal organs. in particular, the pancreas suffers, which contributes to interruptions in insulin production and complications in diabetics (and if there was no diabetes, it can get an impetus for development).
It is useless to treat iron deficiency anemia caused by a lack of B 9 . It is necessary to first cure the symptoms of folic acid deficiency, then the signs of ferritin deficiency will disappear by themselves.
Folic acid deficiency
A patient whose nervous system is sensitive to B 9 deficiency becomes literally unbearable: irritable, aggressive, anxious. He himself suffers from such a state of his. Patients often turn to neurologists and psychiatrists in an attempt to receive treatment, but rarely do doctors recall that a banal folate deficiency may be the cause of such symptoms.
Signs of a lack of folic acid (we have already named the causes of this condition) on the part of the nervous system:
- persistent weakness, chronic fatigue;
- insomnia, problems with sleep phases;
- irritability;
- unmotivated aggression even against loved ones.
If these conditions are accompanied by pallor, skin problems (psoriasis, acne, urticaria) - it is worth thinking about folate deficiency.
Compatibility of folic acid with other vitamins and minerals
Riboflavin may decrease the absorption of pyridoxine and folate. With injectable intramuscular administration, it is worth taking a break between these drugs for about two hours.
Folic acid has a positive effect on the absorption of ferrous iron. Therefore, when taking iron supplements (Sorbifer Durules), it makes sense to drink folic acid in parallel.
The concomitant use of folate preparations with alcoholic beverages or alcohol tinctures (Corvalol, Valoserdin) most often leads to incomplete absorption of vitamin B 9 , since most of it is directly transported to the liver for use in the fight against intoxication.
Prevention of folic acid deficiency in the body
The main role is played by good nutrition. With a poor diet, symptoms of folic acid deficiency are inevitable. Foods That Can Make Up For Vitamin B 9 Deficiency In The Body:
- chicken and quail eggs;
- spinach, celery, cauliflower;
- citrus fruit;
- dairy products: fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, kefir;
- nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios);
- turkey meat.
These products must be present in the diet daily, then you will not have to resort to taking medications to replenish folic acid.