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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. [↩]

Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Deep Vein Thrombosis in the Right Leg with Swelling and Redness. Coutesy wikipedia.
Deep Vein Thrombosis in the Right Leg with Swelling and Redness. Courtesy wikipedia.

What Is Antiphospholipid Syndrome?

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease and a blood clotting disorder characterized by these clinical and laboratory criteria:

Clinical criteria – recurrent vascular thrombosis (clots in veins/arteries) from hypercoagulability (abnormal excessive clotting) and/or recurrent complications of pregnancy that include loss of the fetus  (miscarriage) and pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.

Laboratory criteria – persistently elevated anticardiolipin, anti–beta-2 glycoprotein I, and/or lupus anti-coagulant antibodies in blood.

In antiphospholipid syndrome autoantibodies are produced by the body and directed against negatively charged phospholipids that are found in the outer layer of cell membranes and platelets. B2-glycoprotein-I (a protein in blood plasma) has been found as a major target antigen for antiphospholipid antibodies.

Q: Are phospholipids important in the body?

A: Yes.  Phospholipid molecules are an essential part of cell membranes. They form a barrier around cells that protect the cell, allow movement of oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of the cell, and regulate other small molecules through the cell wall. Because phospholipids are widespread in the body, this disorder can produce a large variety of symptoms and affect many organs.

One severe effect of APS is the development of a blood clot in a vein deep in the arm or leg, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT can cause pain, swelling, redness, or increased warmth in the affected limb. Deep vein clots can break off, travel to the lungs, and cause pulmonary embolism.1 Pulmonary embolism is a medical emergency.

Treatment is with anticoagulant medications and blood monitoring.

What Is Antiphospholipid Syndrome In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ebc/signs.html [↩]