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The effect of folate intake from orange juice on serum folate was evaluated in 60 women (age 20-39) during 9 weeks of a folate-restricted diet. Twenty-one were users of oral contraceptives (OCA). Folate intake from the restricted diet was 159 +/- 5 micrograms/day, as assessed by dietary surveys. Serum folate of women taking OCA was lower than in nonusers at the inception of the study (P less than 0.01). During the initial 2 weeks of restricted diet, serum folates decreased significantly (13.8 +/- 1.8 to 8.5 +/- 0.4 ng/ml; P less than 0.002). This decrease was further prevented by supplementation of the diet for 7 weeks with 100 micrograms/day of total folate from reconstituted frozen orange juice or synthetic folic acid (PteGlu). Both folate supplements were effective (P less than 0.05) in increasing serum folate (9.4 +/- 1.0 to 14.5 +/- 1.4 ng/ml, orange juice; 8.4 +/- 0.7 to 20.5 +/- 5.8 ng/ml, folic acid). Serum folates were similar in women taking either orange juice or folic acid. Serum folate of nonsupplemented women decreased from 10.2 +/- 0.8 to 8.3 +/- 0.4 ng/ml (P less than 0.05). No difference between serum folates of OCA users and nonusers was detected during the restricted diet or folate supplementation. These data indicate that folate in reconstituted orange juice was as available as folic acid, and that utilization of both folate forms and folate in a mixed diet was unaffected by oral contraceptives.

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