Folic acid is also called vitamin b9 or folate and is important for good health as it helps in making and repairing DNA and producing red blood cells. According to a study, an adult should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid tablet in a day. If your body lacks the substance then you may develop anemia or suffer from other certain symptoms.
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Here Is a List of Some of the Most Common Signs That Shows Your Body Lacks Folic Acid
Tongue Swelling and Mouth Sores
Mouth sores and tongue swelling usually occur when the levels of folate are very low so make sure you don’t neglect them. Your tongue will look shiny red or swollen. Because of the decrease in red blood cells, you can feel pain when swallowing food or suffer from stomatitis and sore tongue.
Shortness of Breath
If you notice shortness of breath while doing things that you would normally do without any issues, this means your body lacks red blood cells because of that you have low oxygen levels in the body. Along with this, you might also experience dizziness, a feeling of fainting, and an increased heart rate.
Cognitive Problems
Folic acid plays a major role in keeping your central nervous system healthy. If your body lacks this vitamin you might feel irritable, forgetful, trouble concentrating and depressed. If this left untreated, there are chances of developing serious disorders such as Alzheimer’s or dementia disease.
Pale Skin
Hemoglobin is a protein that is present in red blood cells and is responsible for carrying oxygen from our lungs to all of the body tissues. When your body don’t have enough folic acid, you don’t have enough red blood cells and hemoglobin to give your internal organs the necessary amount of oxygen. This can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, pale skin, and numbness in the feet and hands.
Digestive Issues
If after having your meals you feel nauseous, get stomach pain, diarrhea, or vomiting, this might be due to lack of folic acid in your body. Apart from this, in the worst case, you can also suffer from anorexia which causes significant weight loss.
Body Aches
In a severe case of folate deficiency when you get anemia your brain gets less oxygen, due to which the brain’s arteries start swelling and you get a headache. Your brain is not the only organ that receives less oxygen so there are chances that you will feel pain in other parts of your body that are iron deficient mostly the legs and chest.
Impact Your Taste Senses
According to studies, apart from mouth sores, deficiency in folic acid can reduce the sense of taste. It happens because papillae, the taste receptors, called papillae, can’t send the messages to the brain through your nervous system because of the existing tongue issues.
One of the easiest and right way to resolve your folate deficiency is through a proper diet. As per the severity of the symptoms you can include folic acid capsule or folic acid tablet to your diet. To keep adequate folic acid levels in your body try to eat more dark green vegetables like spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and asparagus.
If you notice any of these symptoms consult your doctor or physician to confirm the diagnosis. After that change your eating habits or as recommended by the doctor.