Deficiency
Cause:
-
alcoholism:
increases excretion in kidneys which does not digest folic acid
-
oral
contraceptives decreases absorption rate of folate
-
inadequate
diet
-
pregnancy,
lactating( breastfeed)
-
anemias
-
certain
medications like anticonvulsions or metformin
Signs
of deficiencies:
Some signs of deficiency
are diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, sore tongue, headaches,
irritability, apathy, premature births with low birth weight, slow
growth rate in children, insomnia, and paranoia.
Current Studies
There are many researches
right now involving the deficiency of folate may have higher risks for
cancer.
The deficiency of folate
causes homocysteine to be higher, therefore induces the risk of having
stroke or hear diseases.
They are also researching
that some drugs used to treat cancer may interfere with the metabolism
of folate.