Folic acid supplements are more effective than increased dietary folate intake in elevating serum folate levels

2000 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda C. Elkin ◽  
Jenny Higham
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Serum Folate ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Folic Acid Supplements ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

scholarly journals Dietary Folate Intake and Folic Acid Supplements among Pregnant Women from Southern Italy: Evidence from the “Mamma & Bambino” Cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barchitta ◽  
Andrea Maugeri ◽  
Roberta Magnano San Lio ◽  
Giuliana Favara ◽  
Claudia La Mastra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Neonatal Outcomes ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Folic Acid Supplement ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Acid Supplement ◽  
Folic Acid Supplements ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

Folate requirement among women who plan to become pregnant should be raised to 600 μg/day during the periconceptional period. To meet this need, several countries began to promote the use of folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy. Here, we investigated prevalence and determinants of dietary folate intake and folic acid supplement use among 397 pregnant women (aged 15–50 years old, median = 37 years old). We also investigated their effects on neonatal outcomes in a subgroup of women who completed pregnancy. For doing that, we used data from the “Mamma & Bambino” project, an ongoing mother-child cohort settled in Catania (Italy). Inadequate folate intake was evaluated using a Food Frequency Questionnaire and defined as an intake < 600 μg/day. Women were also classified as non-users (i.e., women who did not use folic acid supplements), insufficient users (i.e., women who did not take folic acid supplements as recommended), and recommended users of folic acid supplements. Neonatal outcomes of interest were preterm birth (PTB) and small for gestational age (SGA). Nearly 65% of women (n = 257) reported inadequate folate intake, while 74.8% and 22.4% were respectively classified as insufficient or recommended users of supplements. We demonstrated higher odds of inadequate folate intake among smoking women (OR = 1.457; 95%CI = 1.046–2.030; p = 0.026), those who followed dietary restrictions (OR = 2.180; 95%CI = 1.085–4.378; p = 0.029), and those with low adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (OR = 3.194; 95%CI = 1.958–5.210; p < 0.001). In a subsample of 282 women who completed pregnancy, we also noted a higher percentage of SGA among those with inadequate folate intake (p < 0.001). Among 257 women with inadequate folate intake, those with low educational level were more likely to not take folic acid supplements than their more educated counterpart (OR = 5.574; 95%CI = 1.487–21.435; p = 0.012). In a subsample of 184 women with inadequate folate intake and complete pregnancy, we observed a higher proportion of SGA newborns among women who did not take supplement before pregnancy and those who did not take at all (p = 0.009). We also noted that the proportion of PTB was higher among non-users and insufficient users of folic acid supplements, but difference was not statistically significant. Our study underlined the need for improving the adherence of pregnant women with recommendations for dietary folate intake and supplement use. Although we proposed a protective effect of folic acid supplement use on risk of SGA, further research is encouraged to corroborate our findings and to investigate other factors involved.

Folic acid supplementation, dietary folate intake and risk of small for gestational age in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1965-1973
Author(s):  
Huaqi Guo ◽  
Baohong Mao ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Liping Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Small For Gestational Age ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake ◽  
Reduced Risk

AbstractObjective:To investigate the hypothesis that folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake before conception and during pregnancy reduce the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) and to examine the joint effect of folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake on the risk of SGA.Design:Participants were interviewed by trained study interviewers using a standardized and structured questionnaire. Information on birth outcomes and maternal complications was abstracted from medical records and dietary information was collected via a semi-quantitative FFQ before conception and during pregnancy.Setting:A birth cohort data analysis using the 2010–2012 Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital.Participants:Women (n 8758) and their children enrolled in the study.Results:Folic acid supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of SGA (OR = 0·72, 95 % CI 0·60, 0·86), with the reduced risk seen mainly for SGA at ≥37 weeks of gestational age (OR = 0·70, 95 % CI 0·58, 0·85) and nulliparous SGA (OR = 0·67, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·84). There was no significant association between dietary folate intake and SGA risk.Conclusions:Our study suggested that folic acid supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of SGA and the risk varied by preterm status and parity.

scholarly journals Changes in dietary folate intake differentially affect oxidised lipid and mitochondrial DNA damage in various brain regions of rats in the absence/presence of intracerebroventricularly injected amyloid β-peptide challenge

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (9) ◽  
pp. 1294-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ta-Fu Chen ◽  
Ming-Jang Chiu ◽  
Chou-Tz Huang ◽  
Ming-Chi Tang ◽  
Sue-Jane Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Peroxidation ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Neuronal Death ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Amyloid Β Peptide ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

Accumulating evidence suggests that changes in dietary folate intake may modulate the risks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through as yet unknown mechanisms. The aims of the present study were to investigate how dietary folate affects the brain folate distribution, levels of oxidised lipid and DNA damage in the absence/presence of β-amyloid(25–35)(Aβ) peptide challenge, a pathogenic hallmark of AD. Male Wistar rats were assigned to diets with folic acid at 0 (folate deprivation; FD), 8 (moderate folate; MF) and 8 mg folic acid/kg diet+0·003 % in drinking-water (folate supplementation; FS) for 4 weeks. A single injection of Aβ peptide (1 mg/ml) or the vehicle solution was intracerebroventricularly (icv) administrated to rats a week before killing. Brain folate, a marker of oxidative injury, and neuronal death were assayed. In the absence of an Aβ injection, FD rats showed reduced folate levels, and increased 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and a mitochondrial (mt)DNA 4834 bp large deletion (mtDNA4834deletion) in the hippocampus compared with the counterpart brains of control rats (P < 0·05). A single icv injection of Aβ peptide potentiated lipid peroxidation in the medulla of FD rats, which was ameliorated by feeding FD rats with the MF and FS diets (P < 0·05). Feeding the FS diet to Aβ-injected rats enriched brain folate levels and reduced mtDNA4834deletion in the hippocampal and medullary regions compared with corresponding tissues of Aβ+FD rats (P < 0·05). Aβ+FS rats had reduced rates of neuronal death in the frontal cortex compared with Aβ+FD rats (P < 0·05). Taken together, our data revealed that folate deprivation differentially depleted brain folate levels, and increased lipid peroxidation and mtDNA4834deletions, particularly, in the hippocampus. Upon Aβ challenge, the FS diet may protect various brain regions against lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial genotoxicity and neural death associated with folate deprivation.

scholarly journals Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation, Dietary Folate Intake and Low Birth Weight: A Birth Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
LiPing Yang ◽  
Wenjuan Wang ◽  
Baohong Mao ◽  
Jie Qiu ◽  
Huaqi Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Folic Acid Supplement ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake ◽  
Reduced Risk ◽  
Joint Associations

Abstract ObjectivesTo investigate the independent and collective effects of maternal folic acid supplementation or dietary folate intake upon the risk of low birth weight (LBW), and to further comprehensively examine the joint associations of folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake with LBW by various clinical subtypes.DesignParticipants were recruited in Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital. A standardized and structured questionnaire was distributed to collect demographic factors, reproductive and medical history, occupational and residential history, physical activity and diet. Data on pregnancy-related complications and birth outcomes were extracted from medical records. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for single and joint associations of folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake with LBW. SettingA birth cohort data analysis using the 2010–2012 Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital in Lanzhou, China.Participants9231 pregnant women and their children were enrolled in the study. ResultsCompared to non-users, folic acid supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of LBW (OR: 0.80, 95%CI: 0.66-0.97), and the reduced risk was mainly seen for term-LBW (OR: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.41-0.85), and multiparous-LBW (OR: 0.72, 95%CI: 0.54-0.94). For dietary folate intake, there were no significant associations with LBW, and there was no interaction of folic acid supplement and dietary folate intake on LBW.ConclusionsOur study results indicated that folic acid supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of LBW, and there was not interaction of folic acid supplement and dietary folate intake on LBW.

scholarly journals Folic Acid Fortification and Women’s Folate Levels in Selected Communities in Brazil - A First Look

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 286-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hrishikesh Chakraborty ◽  
Kwame A. Nyarko ◽  
Norman Goco ◽  
Janet Moore ◽  
Danilo Moretti-Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Serum Folate ◽  
Women Of Childbearing Age ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Folate Supplementation ◽  
Folic Acid Fortification ◽  
Folic Acid Supplements ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Reproductive Aged Women

Abstract. Background: Several countries have implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour and selected grain products to increase the folate intake of reproductive-aged women. Brazil implemented a folic acid fortification program in 2004. No previous studies have examined folate differences among Brazilian women following the mandate. Objective: We evaluate differences in serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations between two samples of women of childbearing age from selective communities in Brazil, one tested before (N = 116) and the other after the mandate (N = 240). Methods: We compared the baseline folate levels of women enrolled in a prevention study shortly before the fortification mandate was implemented, to baseline levels of women from the same communities enrolled in the same study shortly after fortification began. The participants were women enrolled in a folate supplementation clinical trial, at a hospital specializing in treating craniofacial anomalies in the city of Bauru from January 29, 2004 to April 27, 2005. We only compared baseline folate levels before the women received oral cleft prevention program (OCPP) folic acid supplements. Results: Women enrolled after the fortification mandate had higher means of serum folate (20.3 versus 11.2 nmol/L; p < 0.001) and RBC folate (368.3 versus 177.6 nmol/L; p < 0.001) than women enrolled before the mandate. Differences in folate levels between the two groups remained after adjusting for several co-variables. Conclusions: The results suggest that serum and RBC folate levels among women of childbearing age increased after implementing the folic acid fortification mandate in Brazil.

scholarly journals Dietary Folate Intake Is Negatively Associated with Excess Body Weight in Brazilian Graduates and Postgraduates (CUME Project)

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Pereira ◽  
Josefina Bressan ◽  
Fernando Oliveira ◽  
Helena Sant’Ana ◽  
Adriano Pimenta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Serum Folate ◽  
Excess Body Weight ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

Folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 intake can be important regulators for obesity development. Thus, we investigated the possible association between the intake of these vitamins and the excess body weight or obesity prevalence in the participants of the Cohort of Universities in Minas Gerais (CUME project). This study analyzed cross-sectional data of 2695 graduates and postgraduates from universities in the state of Minas Gerais (801 men, 1894 women, ages 36.2 ± 9.4). The first step consisted of collecting data online, and the second step consisted of blood collecting in the subsample living in the city of Viçosa and its region (Minas Gerais). Excess body weight and obesity prevalence were 38.1% and 10.1%, respectively. Inadequate intake of folate, B6, and B12 were 12, 6.3, and 11.1%, respectively. Beans/lentils and French bread presented the highest contribution to folate intake (23.45% and 10.01%, respectively). Those individuals in the third tertile for folate intake (≥511.12 μg/d) had a lower excess body weight [prevalence ratio (PR): 0.79, confidence interval (CI): 0.71–0.8] and obesity prevalence (PR: 0.60, CI: 0.45–0.78). These associations were maintained when the sample was categorized by sex. In addition, serum folate was positively associated with dietary folate (p for trend = 0.032) and negatively associated with serum homocysteine (p for trend = 0.003) in the subsample. Dietary folate intake was negatively associated with excess body weight and obesity in CUME participants, indicating the relevance of this vitamin dietary assessment.

scholarly journals Maternal folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake and congenital heart defects

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. e0187996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baohong Mao ◽  
Jie Qiu ◽  
Nan Zhao ◽  
Yawen Shao ◽  
Wei Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Congenital Heart Defects ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

scholarly journals Preconception Dietary Folate Intake and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 771-771
Author(s):  
Anne Sofie Laursen ◽  
Elizabeth E Hatch ◽  
Lauren A Wise ◽  
Kenneth J Rothman ◽  
Henrik T Sørensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Fetal Loss ◽  
Study Entry ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Folic Acid Supplement ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Acid Supplement ◽  
Dietary Folate Intake

Abstract Objectives Previous studies suggest a beneficial effect of supplemental folic acid use and dietary folate intake on fertility, while results for fetal loss are conflicting. Most previous research on fetal loss focused on folic acid supplement use. We therefore, investigated the association between dietary folate intake and spontaneous abortion (SAB) in a Danish preconception cohort of couples trying to conceive. Methods We recruited couples who were trying to conceive and did not receive fertility treatment. Pregnancies were ascertained through bimonthly follow-up questionnaires completed up to 12 months after study entry. SABs were identified by self-report on the follow-up questionnaires and through the Danish National Patient Registry. Dietary folate intake at study entry was estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Folate intake was adjusted for total energy intake using the residual method and categorized as &lt; 250,250–399 and &gt; = 400µg/day. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models with gestational weeks as time scale to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SAB, adjusting for age, partner's age, educational attainment, smoking status, anthropometry, physical activity, alcohol intake, folic acid supplement use, time-to-pregnancy, gravidity and parity. In sensitivity analyses, we stratified by folic acid supplement use, body mass index (BMI) and alcohol intake. Results Of the 2,957 women who became pregnant within 12 months of study entry and completed the FFQ, we identified 432 SABs. HRs for an SAB among women who consumed 250–399 and &gt;= 400 µg/day of dietary folate compared with &lt;250 µg/day were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.53; 1.29) and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.54; 1.39), respectively. Comparing intake &gt; = 400 with &lt;250 µg/day, the association was stronger when the analysis was restricted to folic acid supplement users, 0.74 (95% CI: 0.39; 1.40), to women with a BMI &gt;= 25, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.31; 1.43), and to a reported alcohol intake &gt;4 drinks/week, 0.66 (95% CI: 0.16; 2.66). Conclusions Our study may suggest that high dietary folate intake among folic acid supplement users is associated with a lower risk of SAB, although our estimates are imprecise. Funding Sources National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

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