Folic acid has many uses in the body, and B9 deficiency has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Folic acid does have a variety of useful purposes, and doctors may recommend folic acid supplementation. Studies have found that folic acid deficiency may lead to anxiety and depression, and some studies claim that folic acid may reduce depression when taken in conjunction with vitamin B12.
You don't eat enough foods that have folic acid. These include green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, fortified cereals, yeast, and meats (including liver). You drink too much alcohol. You have certain diseases of the lower digestive tract, such as celiac disease.
Although it's uncommon, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency (with or without anaemia) can lead to complications, particularly if you have been deficient in vitamin B12 or folate for some time. Potential complications can include: problems with the nervous system. temporary infertility.
Vitamin B1(thiamin) and mental health. Mental health problems such as memory loss, anxiety, depression, irritability, and insomnia are also associated with deficiencies in vitamin B1. The brain uses this vitamin to help convert glucose or blood sugar into energy.
Vitamins can increase energy, balance neurotransmitter levels, improve cognitive performance, and regulate mood. B-complex, vitamin E, vitamin C, GABA, and 5-HTP are 5 vitamins commonly used to help with anxiety and stress.
And getting more of the right vitamins and minerals can increase your ability to properly manage stress. Anxiety itself can also deplete nutrient levels. So the more anxious you are, the faster your body will burn through its vitamins and minerals. And the lower your nutrient levels, the more anxiety you'll have.
Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, mouth sores and neurological issues. Folate deficiency can be prevented by eating a diet rich in foods that contain folate.
Elevated pH, as occurs in achlorhydria, can also lead to poor folate absorption. Drugs such as methotrexate, phenytoin, sulfasalazine, and trimethoprim can antagonize folate utilization, inhibit its absorption or conversation to its active form resulting in folate deficiency.
If you do not have enough folic acid, your body can make abnormally large red blood cells that do not work properly. This causes folate deficiency anaemia, which can cause tiredness and other symptoms. Folic acid will help you make healthy red blood cells and improve or prevent the symptoms of anaemia.
Although it's uncommon, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency (with or without anaemia) can lead to complications, particularly if you've been deficient in vitamin B12 or folate for some time. Potential complications can include: problems with the nervous system. temporary infertility.
Folate-deficiency anemia most often responds well to treatment within 3 to 6 months. It will likely get better when the underlying cause of the deficiency is treated.
Supplementation with folate may help reduce depressive symptoms. Folate, a naturally occurring B vitamin, is needed in the brain for the synthesis of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
You're unlikely to get side effects with folic acid, but some people feel sick, lose their appetite, get wind or feel bloated. These side effects are usually mild and do not last long.
In the adult, epidemiological studies have linked lack of folate to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, including stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and depression (Reynolds, 2002; He et al., 2004; Irizarry et al., 2005; Lamberti et al., 2005).
A number of drugs such as aminopterin, methotrexate (amethopterin), pyrimethamine, trimethoprim and triamterene act as folate antagonists and produce folate deficiency by inhibiting this enzyme.
Taking folic acid with fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) or primidone (Mysoline) might decrease the drug's concentration in your blood. Barbiturates. Taking folic acid with a drug that acts as a central nervous system depressant (barbiturate) might decrease the drug's effectiveness.
Cautions with other medicines
Folic acid can also affect the way other medicines work. Do not take your folic acid within 2 hours before or after taking indigestion remedies (antacids containing aluminium or magnesium), as they may stop the folic acid being properly absorbed.
Common symptoms of folate deficiency can include: Tiredness, fatigue and lethargy. Muscle weakness. Neurological signs, such as a feeling of pins and needles, tingling, or burning, or peripheral neuropathy, i.e. a numbness in the extremities.
In most cases, serum folate testing alone is sufficient for assessment of folate status, but if there is strong clinical suspicion of folate deficiency and the serum folate level is normal and cobalamin deficiency has been ruled out, the red blood cell (RBC) folate level may be measured.
Vitamin B12 is an especially important vitamin for maintaining healthy nerve cells, and it helps in the production of DNA and RNA, the body's genetic material. Vitamin B12 works closely with vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid, to help make red blood cells and to help iron work better in the body.
The symptoms of anxiety – especially panic attacks – and anemia are very similar, so it is no wonder that so many of those living with anxiety convince themselves anemia must be the cause.
Having a mineral deficiency like iron deficiency anemia can predispose people to hyperventilate and experience panic attacks at a higher rate than those without anemia. The presence of heavy metals in nervous system tissue is also linked with mental health issues.
Stress is known to deplete our levels of B vitamins, especially vitamin B12. Vegetarians, vegans and those on restricted diets can struggle to get enough vitamin B12 to meet their body's needs.