Vitamin B9

Folic Acid
 Vitamin B9(Folic Acid)
• The word folic acid is derived from latin word.
• Folium means leaf & it is also isolated from the
leafy vegetable spinach
• Folic acid mainly consists of three components
• Pteridine ring
• PABA (p-amino benzoic acid)
• Glutamic acid residue (1 to 7 residues)
• Hence it is known as Pteroyl-glutamic acid
 Causes for Folate Deficiency
• Diseases in which folic acid is not well absorbed in the
digestive system (such as Celiac disease or Crohn disease)
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Eating overcooked fruits and vegetables. Folate can be
easily destroyed by heat.
• Certain medicines (such as phenytoin, sulfasalazine)
• Eating an unhealthy diet that does not include enough
fruits and vegetables
• Kidney dialysis
• Hemolytic Anemia
 Clinical Implications
• Reduced DNA Synthesis
• Macrocytic Anemia
• Hyperhomocystinuria
• Neural Tube Effects
 Symptoms of folate deficiency
• Reduced sense of taste
• Diarrhoea
• Numbness and tingling in the feet and hands
• Muscle weakness
• Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• Lack of energy (lethargy)
• Breathlessness
• Pale skin
• Noticeable heartbeats (palpitations)
• Hearing sounds coming from inside the body, rather than from an
outside source (tinnitus)
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
 Symptoms of Folate Excess
• abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
• rash
• sleep disorders
• irritability
• confusion
• nausea
• stomach upset
• behavior changes
• skin reactions
• seizures
• excitability