Folic acid (supplement form of folate) is a vitamin most commonly associated with pregnancy.  Its importance in cancer treatment and cognitive functions for surviving cancer are becoming increasingly apparent.  Folic acid deficiency is likely to be a major contributor to the disorder we know as chemo brain.

Why you need folate/folic acid if you are a cancer survivor:

• Helps form and maintain new cells (this is why many chemotherapies deplete it)
• Needed to make DNA and RNA, and helps to preserve DNA changes that can lead to cancer
• Needed in the formation of normal red blood cells
• Helps prevent anemia
• Helps maintain normal levels of the amino acid homocysteine (cardiovascular disease is associated with elevated levels)
• Needed by hippocampus (brain structure) for new cells and memory
• Deficiencies associated with cognitive problems and decline, and some cancers

Chemotherapy side effects: Certain chemotherapies deplete folate