It can be hard to decipher the complex web of interactions between the nutrients in the foods you eat, but an understanding of the way various vitamins respond to each other can help you in your quest to maintain a balanced diet. For instance, an excess of serum folate in your bloodstream can mask a deficiency in vitamin B12, which can result in disastrous consequences for your nervous system.
Neuropathy
Your nervous system is the communications network between your body and brain. The brain receives sensory input from the your organs, limbs and tissues, and responds by sending directive to the areas necessary to correct any imbalance, injury or illness. When your nerves are damaged, a condition called neuropathy, your health can be impacted in innumerable ways. The National Institutes of Neurological Orders and Stroke explains that when your motor nerves are affected, you may experience muscle weakness or paralysis. Sensory nerve damage can prevent you from feeling pain that warns of tissue damage. Autonomic neuropathy can affect the way your internal organs function.
Vitamin B12
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in meat, dairy products, eggs, poultry and fish. The National Institutes of Health states that this essential nutrient is crucial to the formation of red blood cells, the maintenance of your nervous system and the synthesis of DNA. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be caused by a strict vegan diet, gastric atrophy due to aging, or a number of gastrointestinal disorders that prevent the absorption of nutrients from the foods you eat.
Folate/B12 Interactions
Folate is also a water-soluble vitamin, and is sometimes referred to as vitamin B9. The NIH explains that folate deficiency has all but been eliminated in the U.S. since vitamin fortification programs were implemented in the 1990s. Still, it is important for pregnant women to make sure they are receiving adequate folate in order to prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in their unborn children. As a result high dosages of folate are sometimes ingested.
Folate Masks B12 Deficiency
Lack of dietary folate and B12 can cause a condition called megaloblastic anemia. Unfortunately, the emphasis on folate can sometimes prompt the consumption of dosages high enough to mask B12 deficiency, according to the NIH. If you have a B12 deficiency that has been hidden due to an excessive intake of folate, you may be at risk of nerve damage. In order to avoid this, the NIH recommends a daily dosage of 400 mcg of folate for most adults. Pregnant women should take 500 mcg and lactating women are advised to consume 500 mcg daily. In order to decrease the risk of masking other dietary deficiencies, the NIH cautions against dosages larger than 1,000 for average healthy adults, The recommended daily allowance for B12 is 2.4 mcg for the average adult, 2.6 mcg for pregnant women, and 2.8 for lactating women.
