Excessive folic acid intake and relation to adverse health outcome

Biochimie ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Selhub ◽  
Irwin H. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcome ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Adverse Health Outcome ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Acid Intake ◽  
Adverse Health

scholarly journals Knowledge gaps in understanding the metabolic and clinical effects of excess folates/folic acid: a summary, and perspectives, from an NIH workshop

2020 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1390-1403
Author(s):  
Padma Maruvada ◽  
Patrick J Stover ◽  
Joel B Mason ◽  
Regan L Bailey ◽  
Cindy D Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Folate Status ◽  
Acid Intake ◽  
Adverse Health ◽  
Vitamin B 12

ABSTRACT Folate, an essential nutrient found naturally in foods in a reduced form, is present in dietary supplements and fortified foods in an oxidized synthetic form (folic acid). There is widespread agreement that maintaining adequate folate status is critical to prevent diseases due to folate inadequacy (e.g., anemia, birth defects, and cancer). However, there are concerns of potential adverse effects of excess folic acid intake and/or elevated folate status, with the original concern focused on exacerbation of clinical effects of vitamin B-12 deficiency and its role in neurocognitive health. More recently, animal and observational studies have suggested potential adverse effects on cancer risk, birth outcomes, and other diseases. Observations indicating adverse effects from excess folic acid intake, elevated folate status, and unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA) remain inconclusive; the data do not provide the evidence needed to affect public health recommendations. Moreover, strong biological and mechanistic premises connecting elevated folic acid intake, UMFA, and/or high folate status to adverse health outcomes are lacking. However, the body of evidence on potential adverse health outcomes indicates the need for comprehensive research to clarify these issues and bridge knowledge gaps. Three key research questions encompass the additional research needed to establish whether high folic acid or total folate intake contributes to disease risk. 1) Does UMFA affect biological pathways leading to adverse health effects? 2) Does elevated folate status resulting from any form of folate intake affect vitamin B-12 function and its roles in sustaining health? 3) Does elevated folate intake, regardless of form, affect biological pathways leading to adverse health effects other than those linked to vitamin B-12 function? This article summarizes the proceedings of an August 2019 NIH expert workshop focused on addressing these research areas.

scholarly journals Folic acid food fortification prevents inadequate folate intake among preschoolers from Ontario

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1548-1555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Hennessy-Priest ◽  
Jill Mustard ◽  
Heather Keller ◽  
Lee Rysdale ◽  
Joanne Beyers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Food Fortification ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Acid Intake ◽  
Fortified Food

AbstractObjectiveFolic acid food fortification has successfully reduced neural tube defect-affected pregnancies across Canada. The effect of this uncontrolled public health intervention on folate intake among Canadian children is, however, unknown. Our objectives were to determine folic acid intake from food fortification and whether fortification promoted adequate folate intakes, and to describe folic acid-fortified food usage among Ontario preschoolers.DesignCross-sectional data were used from the NutriSTEP™ validation project with preschoolers recruited using convenience sampling. Mean daily total folate and folic acid intakes were estimated from 3 d food records, which included multivitamin supplement use. Comparisons were made to Dietary Reference Intakes, accounting for and excluding fortificant folic acid, to determine the prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes.SettingCanada.SubjectsTwo hundred and fifty-four preschoolers (aged 3–5 years).ResultsAll participants (130 girls, 124 boys) ate folic acid-fortified foods and 30 % (n76) used folic acid-containing supplements. Mean (se) fortificant folic acid intake was 83 (2) μg/d, which contributed 30 % and 50 % to total folate intake for supplement users and non-users, respectively. The prevalence of total folate intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement was <1 %; however, excluding fortificant folic acid, the prevalence was 32 %, 54 % and 47 % for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, respectively. The overall prevalence of folic acid (fortificant and supplemental) intakes above the Tolerable Upper Intake Level was 2 % (7 % among supplement users).ConclusionsFolic acid food fortification promotes dietary folate adequacy and did not appear to result in excessive folic acid intake unless folic acid-containing supplements were consumed.

Periconceptional nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug use, folic acid intake, and the risk of spina bifida

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daina B. Esposito ◽  
Samantha E. Parker ◽  
Allen A. Mitchell ◽  
Sarah C. Tinker ◽  
Martha M. Werler
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Spina Bifida ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Inflammatory Drug ◽  
Acid Intake ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

scholarly journals The Dihydrofolate Reductase 19 bp Polymorphism Is Not Associated with Biomarkers of Folate Status in Healthy Young Adults, Irrespective of Folic Acid Intake

2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 2207-2211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Ozaki ◽  
Anne M Molloy ◽  
James L Mills ◽  
Ruzong Fan ◽  
Yifan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Dihydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Folate Status ◽  
Acid Intake

Do health benefits explain the price premiums for organic foods?

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Kuchler ◽  
Katherine Ralston ◽  
J. Robert Tomerlin
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcome ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Adverse Health Outcome ◽  
Price Premiums ◽  
Adverse Health ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Typical Consumer ◽  
Value Of Health

AbstractThis paper examines whether the dollar value of health benefits that consumers derive from organic food could account for the price premiums they pay. Price and sales data from realized transactions are inadequate to reveal consumer preferences for health benefits. Our exploratory alternative method estimates the value of health benefits to a hypothetical consumer who assesses risks as risk assessors do and values a unit reduction in all fatal risks equally, regardless of the source of any risk. Under these assumptions, our estimates of the value of health benefits derived from substituting an organic diet for a conventionally produced diet approach zero. For a common organic product, apple juice, we estimated the cost of reducing risks by buying the organic characteristic. The cost of averting each adverse health outcome is 27 to 461 times as large as the value of benefits. If the characteristics of our hypothetical consumer match those of the typical consumer, two inferences follow from our estimates of benefits and costs. First, the typical consumer is unlikely to purchase organic food for health reasons. Second, consumers who choose organic food could differ from typical consumers in several dimensions: perceptions of the level of risk from dietary intake of pesticides, perceptions of the nature of adverse health outcomes from pesticides, or in the importance attached to other attributes of organic food. Our analysis is exploratory partially because there are several behavioral assumptions implicit in the values we calculate. Also, we focus on risks that can be quantitatively estimated, measuring the probability of an adverse health outcome with readily accessible data. Currently, only cancer risks can be measured in terms of probabilities from readily accessible data.

scholarly journals Factors associated with not using folic acid supplements preconceptionally

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 2344-2350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Manniën ◽  
Ank de Jonge ◽  
Martina C Cornel ◽  
Evelien Spelten ◽  
Eileen K Hutton
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Tube Defects ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Folic Acid Intake ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Acid Intake ◽  
Folic Acid Supplements

AbstractObjectiveNeural tube defects are among the most common birth defects worldwide. Folic acid intake from one month before to three months after conception reduces the likelihood of neural tube defects by at least 50 %. Since 1995, several campaigns have been organised in the Netherlands which resulted in 51 % of pregnant women using folic acid supplements during the entire recommended period in the northern part of the Netherlands in 2005. Our research question was to gain insight into the current prevalence and factors associated with inadequate pregnancy-related use of folic acid supplements.DesignData from the DELIVER study were used, which is a population-based cohort study.SettingTwenty midwifery practices across the Netherlands in 2009 and 2010.SubjectsIn total 5975 pregnant women completed a questionnaire covering items on sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including folic acid intake.ResultsOf our study population, 55·5 % (3318/5975) used folic acid supplements before conception. Several sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were associated with no preconception use of folic acid, of which non-Western ethnicity and not having a partner had the largest effect size.ConclusionsIn the Netherlands, the folic acid intake before conception is suboptimal and has not improved over recent years. Fortification of staple foods with folic acid should be reconsidered as it would provide a more effective means of ensuring an adequate intake, especially for those groups of women who are unlikely to plan their pregnancies or to receive or respond to health promotion messages.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document