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Folate Deficiency (Folic Acid)

Lovely Lettuce Briming With Folates.
Lovely Lettuce Brimming With Folates.

What Is Folate?

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]olate, also called folic acid or vitamin B9, is a family group of essential water-soluble B vitamins needed to produce healthy blood cells and other tissue cells.

Folate is required for healthy blood cells, the metabolism of at least 5 amino acids, the production of DNA, RNA and tRNA (genetic material), the normal development of a baby in the womb, male and female fertility, and regulation of homocysteine (amino acid) by reduction of harmful blood levels in conjunction with vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Urinary excretion of folate cannot be detected when vitamin intake is below the required levels. On the other hand, when intake exceeds saturation in the body, the vitamins and/or their metabolites are actively excreted into urine to prevent excessive toxicity of the vitamins.1

What Is Folate Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Shibata K, Hirose J, Fukuwatari T. Relationship Between Urinary Concentrations of Nine Water-soluble Vitamins and their Vitamin Intakes in Japanese Adult Males. Nutr Metab Insights. 2014 Aug 5;7:61-75. doi: 10.4137/NMI.S17245. eCollection 2014. [↩]

Infertility in Females

Lost patch of hair at base of scalp due to alopecia areata. Courtesy Wikimedia,
Lost patch of hair at base of scalp due to alopecia areata. Courtesy Wikimedia,

What Is Alopecia Areata?

[dropcap]A lopecia areata is an autoimmune attack on hair follicles characterized by sudden hair loss involving scalp or beard, although any hairy area may be affected.

Areas of hair loss have a patchy pattern with sharply defined edges.

Q: Can all hair be affected?

A: All body hair may be lost, which is called alopecia universalis although this is uncommon.

In alopecia areata, white blood cells of the immune system attack the rapidly growing cells in the hair follicles. The affected hair follicles become small and drastically slow down hair production. Fortunately, the stem cells that continuously supply the follicle with new cells do not seem to be targeted. So the follicle always has the potential to regrow hair but regrowth is unpredictable.1

What Is Alopecia Areata In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Alopecia_Areata [↩]