Which laboratory result is expected to be low in cases of folic acid deficiency?

In cases of folic acid deficiency, it is expected that folic acid levels will be low. Folic acid is a vitamin that plays a critical role in the production and maturation of red blood cells. When there is a deficiency, the body cannot synthesize adequate amounts of DNA necessary for the proper division of cells, particularly in the bone marrow where red blood cells are produced. This results in a decrease in serum folate levels, indicative of a systemic lack of this essential nutrient.

Consequently, measuring folic acid levels provides direct insight into the availability of this vitamin in the body, making it a definitive marker of deficiency. Other laboratory parameters, such as serum iron, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), may not specifically indicate folic acid deficiency; they pertain to broader hematologic assessments that can be affected by various other conditions or deficiencies.