Folate is essential for making new cells, healthy red blood cells, and healthy nerves.
🥕A folate deficiency is rarely alone without other deficiencies so a full vitamin and mineral screening blood test is a good idea.
🌶A folate deficiency could indicate that there is a problem with absorbing the vitamin from the gut. Undiagnosed coeliac disease could be a cause. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease can also affect absorption.
🥦Taking certain medications can affect folate absorption. These include antiepileptic drugs and sulfasalazine. Furosemide also decreases intestinal folate absorption.
🥬Alcohol can affect folate absorption. As little as two glasses of wine a day can impact hepatic uptake and lead to folate being excreted in the urine.
🌽MTHFR methylenetetrahydrafolate–1 in 10 white British will have the MTHFR genetic polymorphism. This means the reductase enzyme needed for the conversion of folate to its active form is less active.  Not eating a variety of foods could also contribute to a low folate.

If a folate blood test, full vitamin, and mineral test, coeliac test, or a test to see if you have the MTHFR gene are of interest to you, contact me via my website. I offer a full phlebotomy, specimen packaging, and test interpretation package.