In light of all the media attention to homocysteine problems, how do we avoid deficiencies in folate and vitamin B12?
Folic acid deficiency is easily corrected with a daily multi-vit that typically has 1 mg of folate per tablet. Better would be just good nutrition while moderating ethanol intake (the most common cause of folate deficiency). Vitamin B12 deficiency takes years to develop because normal well-nourished people have large stores of it. There are usually serious problems underlying vitamin B12 deficiency that occurs in the absence of chronic alcohol abuse. When there is vitamin B12 deficiency, there is the possibility that a person has a problem with absorbing it (a Schilling test would be needed to diagnose this problem). Here, the only way to correct the deficiency is to give B12 parenterally or intramuscularly. The neurological problems arising from B12 deficiency may not completely reverse with correcting the B12 deficiency. Typically, either folate or B12 deficiency will present with megaloblastic anemia. The reason for caution with just giving folate in this situation is that the anemi
