CONCLUSIONS: In the 70 years since Lucy Wills’ original discovery that yeast extract contained a factor to which macrocytic anaemia of pregnancy responds, many aspects of folate metabolism and the role of folate deficiency in causing megaloblastic anaemia have been elucidated.
The exact role of folate deficiency or abnormal metabolism in the pathogenesis of neurological and vascular diseases, neural tube defects and certain types of cancer now present important problems for research to take into the 21st century.
Reference:
Br J Haematol. 2001 Jun;113(3):579-89.
The history of folic acid.
Hoffbrand AV, Weir DG.
Department of Haematology, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, London, UK.
