Nutrition Evolve Case Studies Practice Test

Prolonged high intake of folic acid can hide a vitamin B12 deficiency because both nutrients are involved in making red blood cells, but B12 also has a critical role in nerve health. When you give a lot of folic acid, the megaloblastic anemia caused by B12 deficiency can improve, so the blood picture looks normal or less concerning. Yet the underlying B12 deficiency remains, and the neurological damage from it can continue or worsen, potentially becoming irreversible if not addressed. This is why excess folic acid is said to “mask” the deficiency: it corrects the blood-related symptoms while not treating the nerve damage. The other options don’t fit because iron deficiency shows up as anemia that isn’t corrected by folate; vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy symptoms, and vitamin D deficiency relates to bone health, not masking a B12-related neuropathy.