Knowledge Check • The Blood Project

Which of the following is true:

a

Folate is an A vitamin

b

Folate is a B vitamin

c

Folate is a C vitamin

d

Folate is a D vitamin

Which of the following is/are true:

a

Folic acid is the natural form of folate found in food

b

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate

c

Folic acid is polyglutamated

d

Folic acid is a reduced form of folate

e

Folic acid is better absorbed than natural folate

What happened in the late 1990s that reduced the incidence of folate deficiency?

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Many countries mandated food fortification with folic acid

Name the 3 main modifications of folate

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Mono vs. polyglutamate
Oxidized vs. reduces
Covalently bonded one-carbon units

What did Choosing Wisely advise regarding diagnosis of folate deficiency?

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Do not order red blood cell folate levels at all. In adults, consider folate supplementation instead of serum folate testing in patients with macrocytic anemia.

Match the parameter with the vitamin deficiency

Megaloblastic anemia

Decreased serum haptoglobin

Neural tube defects

Unsteady gait

Hypersegmented neutrophils

Parietal cell antibodies

Pancytopenia

Elevated serum homocysteine

Intrinsic factor antibodies

Increased methylmalonic acid

Elevated serum LDH

Folate deficiency alone

Vitamin B12 deficiency alone

Both folate and vitamin B12 deficiency