Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9 is crucial for maintaining good health. It helps our body produce red blood cells and repair our DNA. Studies show that adults must consume 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. If you don’t consume enough folic acid, you may develop anemia and suffer from some diseases. Not sure if your body gets enough B9?
Here are the 5 signs indicating that your body needs more folic acid:
1. Body pains
Folate deficiency causes anemia and when you have anemia, your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. When the brain gets less oxygen, the brain’s arteries start to swell and you end up with a headache. You can also feel pain in many areas such as your legs and chest.
2. Digestive problems
Lack of folic acid can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. It can also cause anorexia, which will lead to major weight loss.
3. Cognitive problems
Folic acid is key to having a healthy central nervous system. If your body lacks of folic acid, you might suffer from depression, feel forgetful and even have trouble concentrating. If this is not treated properly, it can cause serious illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.
4. Mouth sores and tongue swellings
When the lack of folic acid is quite severe, you might end up with mouth sores and your tongue looking red, swollen or shiny. You can also be experiencing pain when swallowing.
5. Pale skin
When you don’t consume enough folic acid, you don’t have enough red blood cells, which means you don’t have enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein contained in the red blood cells that transfers the oxygen from your lungs to all body tissues. You’ll end up feeling fatigue, numbness in your feet and hands, muscle weakness and pale skin.