11 Facts About Folate deficiency

Folate deficiency, known as vitamin B9 deficiency, is a low level of folate and derivatives in the body.

Women with folate deficiency who become pregnant are more likely to give birth to low birth weight premature infants, and infants with neural tube defects and even spina bifida.

The Folate deficiency is more common in pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents.

Folate deficiency is absorbed throughout the small intestine, though mainly in the jejunum.

Folate deficiency is often supplemented before some high dose chemotherapy treatments in an effort to protect healthy tissue.

Cerebral folate deficiency is when levels of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate are low in the brain as measured in the cerebral spinal fluid despite being normal in the blood.

The causes of cerebral folate deficiency include mutations of genes responsible for folate metabolism and transport.

Folate deficiency can occur during pregnancy as a result of the increasing number of cells of the growing fetus, decreased absorption and intake of folate, maternal hormones that mediate its metabolism, vascular circulation of maternal and fetal blood and an increasing amount of blood resulting in dilution.

Folate deficiency is diagnosed with a blood test to measure the serum level of folate, measured as methyltetrahydrofolate .

Folate deficiency is acquired in the diet by the consumption of leafy green vegetables, legumes and organ meats.

Folate deficiency is very rare in countries with folic acid fortification programs.