What is folic acid?
Folic acid (vitamin B9) belongs to the B vitamins and is found in almost all animal and plant foods. The human body cannot produce folic acid itself. But certain bacteria in the human digestive tract are able to do so.
Adults consume about 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. The requirement is increased in women who take the contraceptive pill or are pregnant. The body can also store the vitamin, enough to cover the requirement for three to four months.
What is folic acid good for?
Folic acid is important for the production of genetic material. Thus, it is necessary for the growth and reproduction of cells, especially for the formation of red (erythrocytes) and white blood cells (leukocytes).
When is folic acid determined?
The physician determines the concentration of folic acid in the blood of a patient in the following cases, among others:
- long-term therapy with antiepileptic drugs (drugs against epilepsy)
- prolonged dialysis
- Suspected folic acid deficiency (e.g. in multiple pregnancies, alcoholism, psoriasis)
- Anemia
Folic acid reference values
|
Laboratory value folic acid |
Findings |
|
< 2.0 ng/ml |
Folic acid deficiency |
|
2.0 – 2.5 ng/ml |
value worthy of observation |
|
> 2.5 ng/ml |
Normal range of folic acid |
When is the folic acid level too low?
Too low a concentration of vitamin B9 can be caused by the following:
- insufficient intake, e.g. in the case of an unbalanced diet (e.g. in alcoholics)
- Impaired uptake (absorption), for example in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases or celiac disease
- taking certain medications (such as antiepileptic drugs)
- increased need for or loss of folic acid, for example during pregnancy, growth phases, cancer, psoriasis or certain forms of anemia
Folic acid deficiency
Unborn children who receive too little folic acid from their mothers run the risk of a developmental disorder of the nervous system – an “open back” (spina bifida) can develop. In this case, a part of the bony spinal column (with the spinal cord running through it) remains open. The affected children are severely physically impaired.
You can read more about this topic in the article Folic acid deficiency.
When is the folic acid level too high?
Too much folic acid is excreted by the kidneys. An overdose is therefore hardly possible.
If the folic acid measurement nevertheless shows (falsely) elevated values, this may be because the blood was not taken on an empty stomach. Therefore, patients should be careful not to eat for the last 12 hours before the blood sample is taken.
