Vitamins are substances required by our bodies in small amounts for growth and general health. Our bodies do not store very much folic acid so we need to have a regular fresh supply. We can usually get the amounts we need from the food that we eat. Many foods contain folic acid, including spinach, sprouts, broccoli, green beans, peas, chickpeas, brown rice, kidney, liver and potatoes. Some people, for various reasons, may not receive enough from their diet alone. Folic acid is important for the production of red blood cells. A lack of it can lead to anaemia, which can cause tiredness and sometimes other symptoms. Folic acid deficiency is treated easily by taking a course of folic acid tablets for a few months.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/medicine/folic-acid-folate-folica-folisol-lexpec