• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Low on folic acid

airsair

Well-Known Member
Messages
60
Location
Worcester
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello,
Help needed please.
I went for my 6 month check up last week . The diabetes nurse why i was there as i was managing well. But took my bloods because i was there. Told to come only once a year now, but if anything showed up in urine or blood she would get someone to contact.
I got contacted today, by a receptionist, saying there was a new prescription for me for folic acid at reception and they needed more bloods asap to check why my folic acid was very low.
She couldn't rell me anymore as only a receptionist.
My bloods will be taken Wednesday, so i googled it, and as i am not pregnant because i am very old....55, could not find anything relevent to me.
How is it related to my diabetes ?
I have oviously found stuff related to cancer or heart problems, but not directly linked.
Any help please.
My blood test appointment is not with doc , merely to take blood. I know i am going to worry untill the blood test results are back. Most likely way after xmas.
Sorry to be a pain.
 
Too old to have a baby in my opinion.
I have looked at that web page and the only symptom i have is pins and needles in my hands which i mentioned to the diabetic nurse 6 months ago.
I also take multi vits which include folic acid i just checked the ingredients.
Maybe its a side effect of taking Metformin?
 
Last edited:
Certainly Metformin can reduce vitamin B12 in your body, and folic acid is another type of B vitamin. Have you had any blood tests for vitamin deficiencies as opposed to the normal blood tests we have as diabetics? Something must have alerted your doctor to you needing some folic acid. Perhaps you could ask the receptionist for a print out of your results so you can see for yourself, otherwise you are accepting what they say without really knowing what is what. Does your doctor know you take multi vits?

Pins and needles in your hands could be due to anything - even high blood sugars.

I agree, far too old to have a baby!
 
It was just the general diabetic blood test.
Never seen a doctor since diagnosed . Only a diabetic nurse who says i only need to see her and when i went last week said only once a year now.
Good advice in getting a print out will ask Wednesday.
Never told her i take multi vits, noticed my nails and hair suffering so decided to start taking them myself.
 
have you been taking vitamin b12 lately, usually it is the other way around, like vitamin folic-acid can mask a vitamin b12 deficiency, but maybe the two can interfere with each other if taken in very high amounts..

years ago I read a lot of books from the hand of a Finnish vitamin/nutrition scientist; one thing I remember is that he stated that the lungs need a lot of folic-acid to be in the best "shape", so I would guess that if one has had a cold or influenza maybe ones body uses more folic acid than other times, also the folic acid is in higher amounts in green foods and liver and to lesser degree in milk in the summertime where plants are getting the best conditions and the same about cows grassing and other animals feeded with green foods... folic acid has it´s name from the word "leaf" in french, where it was first isolated from as a vitamin... vine-leaves are filled with folic-acid..

I don´t know of any specifik diseases that lower the level of folic acid in the body, but if there would be any diseases I think it could be quite a large number of diseases... also nerve-health is depending on both vitamin b12 and folic acid. and then of cause the brains Health

I guess that people in general in nothern Europe are in the lower area in folic acid
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Anaemia-vitamin-B12-and-folate-deficiency/Pages/Introduction.aspx
 
Last edited:
I had low folic and there's no way I'll ever get pregnant and not just because I'm too old took folic acid tabs for about 12 months till levels came back to normal and also it was low before taking metformin was un-diagnosed diabetic at the time.
 
Folic acid is - I think - involved in the production of red blood corpuscles and there is an anaemia which is the result of low levels, but it is complicated by there being requirements for other things in order to rectify the problem, which might not be a problem in this case, of course.
 
I have been taking a multi vitaminn for about 6 months
 
JohnEGreen said:
I had low folic and there's no way I'll ever get pregnant and not just because I'm too old took folic acid tabs for about 12 months till levels came back to normal and also it was low before taking metformin was un-diagnosed diabetic at the time.
Click to expand...
I have been type 2 for 2 years now so they would have picked it up at last blood test surely, so guesing it hasnt been low before.
 
airsair said:
I have been taking a multi vitaminn for about 6 months
Click to expand...

how many percent of daily needs are there in your vitamin of folic acid ?

I have just checked all my laboratory tests online , can´t you check yours ... I have been too low in more tests without my GP or nurse mentioning it to me...
 
airsair said:
I have been type 2 for 2 years now so they would have picked it up at last blood test surely, so guesing it hasnt been low before.
Click to expand...


I doubt you will have had any specific vitamin deficiency tests. They are not routine. You either have to ask for them or present with some symptoms of deficiency.


Folic acid has several important functions. For example, it:

  • works together with vitamin B12 to form healthy red blood cells
  • helps to reduce the risk of central nervous system defects, such as spina bifida, in unborn babies



Good sources of folic acid
Folate is found in small amounts in many foods. Good sources include:

  • broccoli
  • brussels sprouts
  • liver
  • spinach
  • asparagus
  • peas
  • chickpeas
  • fortified breakfast cereals
How much folic acid do I need?
Adults need 0.2mg of folic acid a day.

Folic acid cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

What happens if I take too much folic acid?
Taking doses of folic acid higher than 1mg can disguise vitamin B12 deficiency.

An early symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency is anaemia. However, taking large amounts of folic acid treats the anaemia without treating the B12 deficiency. If a vitamin B12 deficiency is not noticed, it can eventually damage the nervous system.

This is particularly a concern for older people, because it becomes more difficult to absorb vitamin B12 as you get older.

What does the Department of Health advise?
The Department of Health recommends that folic acid supplements are taken by women who are pregnant, thinking of having a baby or likely to become pregnant (see above).

Women who are not pregnant or planning for a baby should be able to get all the folate they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

If you are taking folic acid supplements, it's important not to take too much, because this could be harmful.

Taking 1mg or less a day of folic acid supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.

(NHS guidance)
 
Well i buy new every month, very odd
 
Those claims on the amounts of all those vitamins seem very high to me, but I am no expert. I've never taken any supplements.
 
A couple of years ago I watched a you tube video on vit b12 deficiency.

In it, they discussed the relationship between b12 and folic acid. Very interesting. Might be worth you looking into the balance of them.

Sorry, but that is all I recall...
 
Metformin is definitely the cause of malabsorption of vitamins and minerals in some people. Experts are talking about an epidemic of low B12 for example. Doesn't matter how many vitamins you are taking if your body isn't absorbing them properly.

Also, folic acid is an artificial manufactured form that is not well recognised by the body. You would be better off getting true folate or folinic acid supplements that the body is better able to use. The same goes for the garbage version of B12 that is used in most OTC supplements (cyanocobalamin).

If you are also one of the 40-60% of people who have a genetic mutation of the MTHFR gene, you are likely have even more problems with the absorption of folic acid. Your body is more likely to be able to use the methyl versions of these vitamins.

Hopefully your surgery will test you for B12 deficiency as well as folate. I'd also ask them to test your homocysteine levels.


https://authoritynutrition.com/folic-acid-vs-folate/

The methylated version of B12 is methylcobalamin and for folate it is L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate.

I would urge you to take this very seriously as a B12 deficiency can cause permanent neurological effects if allowed to continue.
 
Thanks for the info , very interesting , but really worried now about the neurological problems . My father has severe dementure so worried i will follow ......now this, scary stuff.
I am guessing my surgery will not give me all the tests you suggest, lets face it not even seen s doctor for my diabetes yet and its been 2 years.
Just looked at the new prescription they mentioned online and its 5g folic acid not true folate. Just generic i guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…