Eating well with Canada’s food guide is available in multiple languages. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ministry of Health, Folate deficiency, investigation and management, 2012. Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified, 1 serving The recommended daily intake of folate for all age groups, including infants, children and adolescents, is available from Health Canada. Children with clinical folic acid deficiency and those at high risk should be treated with supplemental folic acid. PreventionĪsymptomatic children with folic acid deficiency can be managed with a diet rich in folate, or supplemented by a multivitamin with folic acid. Additional tests include serum homocysteine, serum methylmalonic acid and red blood cell folate level. Low levels of serum folate can help with the diagnosis where the usual range is 2.5 to 20 ng/mL. 2 Diagnosisįolic acid deficiency (as well as vitamin B12 deficiency) may result in megloblastic anemia. Folic acid supplementation combined with a multivitamin supplement in pregnancy has been associated with a decrease in specific birth defects. Deficiency in folic acid during pregnancy can lead to birth defects, most notably neural tube defects, and other congenital anomalies. Consequencesįolic acid deficiency can result in megaloblastic anemia, diarrhea, peripheral neuropathy, mental confusion and depression. Newcomer children with hemoglobinopathies are at risk for folic acid deficiency. Certain medications, such as some anticonvulsants and sulfonamides, can also interact with folic acid levels. While deficiency is mainly due to dietary insufficiency, gastrointestinal diseases such as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease can reduce folic absorption. 1 Etiologyįolic acid is required for DNA production and cell growth. ![]() Children with a chronic deficiency or at high risk of developing one should receive a folic acid supplement.Īlthough the prevalence of folic acid deficiency among pregnant newcomers to Canada is not known, World Health Organization data have shown low serum folic acid levels among pregnant women in countries such as Sri Lanka (57%), India (41.6%), Myanmar (13%) and Thailand (15%).
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