Assessment of nutritional folate status and selected vitamin status of women of childbearing age

Wartanowicz, M; Ziemlański, Ś; Bulhak-Jachymczyk, B; Konopka, L

doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601217

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The results of our study also showed lower levels of serum vitamin B 12 (194 pmol/l) in the women compared to French, Italian, Mexican, West African [31] , Costa Rican [36] , Polish [34] and Bangladeshi [29] women ( table 4 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The mean serum folate of the women in our study (13.6 nmol/l) was higher than that of women in Bangladesh [29] , Sri Lanka [30] , France and Italy [31] , but lower than the mean serum folate of women in the UK [32] , Mexico [31] , Croatia [33] and Gambia [32] . However, the mean serum folate of Iranian women was close to the mean se- [34] . The mean serum homocysteine concentration of the Iranian women (12.6 mol/l) was much higher compared to British, Gambian [32] , French, Italian and Mexican women [31] ; it was also higher than in women from Sri Lanka [30] , but lower than in West African women [31] ( table 4 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Folate, Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> and Homocysteine Status in Women of Childbearing Age: Baseline Data of Folic Acid Wheat Flour Fortification in Iran

et al. 2008

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Background: Folic acid fortification implemented mandatorily in many countries has been associated with significant increase in blood folate concentrations and reduction in the prevalence of neural tube defects. However, there are controversial findings on the probability of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency being masked in the population after folic acid fortification. Baseline data on folate and vitamin B₁₂ status are necessary before mandatory flour fortification is implemented. Objectives: To assess dietary intake of folate and vitamin B₁₂ and to determine blood concentrations of folate, vitamin B₁₂ and homocysteine in women of childbearing age as baseline data regarding folic acid fortification in Iran. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was performed with 579 healthy women as a representative sample of the Golestan province. Fasting blood samples were taken and dietary (24-hour recall), health and sociodemographic data were collected with an interview. Serum concentrations of folate and vitamin B₁₂ were measured with radioimmunoassay, and plasma homocysteine concentrations were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Results: Mean serum concentrations of folate and vitamin B₁₂ were 13.6 nmol/l (95% CI 12.8–14.4) and 194.4 pmol/l (95% CI 183.8–205.0), respectively. Inadequate serum folate levels were present in 14.3% of the women and 22.7% had serum vitamin B₁₂ levels below normal. Mean plasma homocysteine concentration was 12.6 µmol/l (95% CI 12.1–13.2) and hyperhomocysteinemia was observed in 38.3% of the women. Mean daily intake of folate and vitamin B₁₂ was 198.3 µg (95% CI 185.4–211.3) and 2.6 µg (95% CI 1.9–3.2), respectively. Folate intake from food was positively correlated with serum folate concentrations (r = 0.084, p < 0.05) and inversely correlated with plasma homocysteine concentrations (r = –0.115, p < 0.01). Conclusions: An insufficient vitamin B₁₂ as well as folate status is present in Iranian women of childbearing age. The final evaluation will be carried out 18 months after flour fortification and the results will be compared with baseline data obtained from the present study in order to show the efficacy and safety of folic acid fortification in Iran.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Folate, Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> and Homocysteine Status in Women of Childbearing Age: Baseline Data of Folic Acid Wheat Flour Fortification in Iran

et al. 2008

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“…Chile deserves special mention with a successful wheat flour fortification program that has been evaluated recently and resulted in an important decrease of folic acid deficiency (Bunout et al, 1998;Hertrampf et al, 2003). Other countries such as Spain, Cuba and Poland, with important socioeconomic differences, are affected by a high prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B 12 deficiencies (OPS, 1999;Wartanowicz et al, 2001;Planeéis et al, 2003). In Venezuela, there is a high prevalence of folic acid deficiency for all groups analyzed, although vitamin B 12 levels also require immediate action not only due to megaloblastic anemia problems but also the fact that this deficiency is considered an independent risk factor for neural tube defects, due to a reduced cellular uptake of folates in the presence of vitamin B 12 deficiency (Allen, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women in Venezuela

et al. 2005

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Background: There is increased worldwide concern about the consequences of folic acid and vitamin B 12 deficiencies on health, which include megaloblastic anemia, neural tube defects and cardiovascular disease. Objective: This study intended to determine the prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B 12 deficiencies in vulnerable groups in labor and poor socioeconomic strata of the Venezuelan population. Methods: A total of 5658 serum samples were processed to determine folic acid and vitamin B 12 concentrations. The study involved three surveys performed during 2001-2002 and included infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women from labor and poor socioeconomic strata of the population. The method used was a radio immunoassay designed for the simultaneous measurement of serum folic acid and vitamin B 12 .Results: The prevalence of folic acid deficiency was higher than 30% for all groups studied, reaching 81.79% in adolescents. Vitamin B 12 deficiency was 11.4% in samples collected nationwide, but there was also a similar prevalence of high serum levels. The prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B 12 deficiencies in pregnant women reached 36.32 and 61.34%, respectively. Conclusion: This work shows that there is a high prevalence of folic acid deficiency, especially in women of reproductive age, pregnant adolescents and in the whole population studied in Vargas state. This situation requires immediate intervention as supplementation or food fortification programs.

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“…Bearing in mind the proposals of Wartanowicz et al ( 27 ), serum folate concentra-tions of Ͻ 6.8 nmol/L were understood to reflect a high risk of folate deficiency, while values of Ն 14.9 nmol/L were understood to represent optimum status. The upper limit for homocysteine was taken as 10.4 mol/ L, in agreement with the proposal of Tucker et al ( 28 ) for the female population.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Folate Status in Young Overweight and Obese Women: Changes Associated with Weight Reduction and Increased Folate Intake

Ortega

López‐Sobaler

Andrés

et al. 2009

J Nutr Sci Vitaminol

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Summary Objective: To analyze folate status changes in a group of overweight/obese young women following two different weight control programs. Methods: Fifty-seven women (BMI ϭ 24-35 kg/m 2 ) were randomly assigned to one of two slightly hypocaloric diets: diet V, in which the consumption of vegetables was increased, or diet C, in which the consumption of cereals (especially breakfast cereals) was increased. Dietetic, anthropometric and biochemical data were collected at the start of the study and again at 6 wk. Results: At the beginning of the study, the obese women (BMI Ն 30 kg/m 2 ) were at greater risk of showing serum folic acid concentrations of Ͻ 14.9 nmol/L, even though there were no differences in folate intake between them and the women with a lower BMI. Energy intake was reduced and folate intake increased with both the V and C diets. Weight was lost as a consequence of this lower energy intake. Serum folic acid concentration increased and the plasma homocysteine concentration diminished only in those who lost Ͼ 2.5 kg; this was the case of the subjects as a whole and of those who followed the C diet. Among those who lost the most weight ( Ͼ 2.5 kg), the chances of having an increased serum folate concentration were higher, although no significant differences were seen in folate intake with respect to women who lost less weight. Conclusions: Following a hypocaloric diet could lead to a better folate status through increased intake, but especially among those who lose the most body weight. Key Words folate status, homocysteine, overweight, obesity, young womenThe importance of adequate folate nutrition for the maintenance of health and the prevention of diseases such as neural tube defects (NTDs), cancer and occlusive vascular disease, is well recognized ( 1 -3 ).Women of fertile age who are overweight/obese form a group at greater risk of having children with certain birth defects: higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of NTDs and perhaps other negative birth outcomes ( 4 , 5 ). The reason for this association remains unknown, but may involve folate deficiency ( 4 ). Certainly, obese women tend to consume fewer folate-containing fruits and vegetables ( 6 ) and some researchers report an inverse association between serum folate and BMI and increased plasma homocysteine levels in overweight subjects ( 4 , 7 , 8 ). In addition, a number of weight loss interventions have been described to have a positive effect on folate status-a consequence of weight loss independent of diet composition ( 4 , 9 ).The aim of the present work was to determine the folate status of a group of overweight/obese young women and to observe the changes in this produced by two hypocaloric weight loss diets also designed to increase folic acid intake (relative increase in the consumption of vegetables or fortified breakfast cereals). MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy subjects. The study subjects were 67 women aged 20-35 y (mean 27.8 Ϯ 4.6 y). Most were university students; the others were women ...

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Assessment of nutritional folate status and selected vitamin status of women of childbearing age

Cited by 17 publications

References 43 publications

Folate, Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> and Homocysteine Status in Women of Childbearing Age: Baseline Data of Folic Acid Wheat Flour Fortification in Iran

Folate, Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> and Homocysteine Status in Women of Childbearing Age: Baseline Data of Folic Acid Wheat Flour Fortification in Iran

High prevalence of folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies in infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women in Venezuela

Folate Status in Young Overweight and Obese Women: Changes Associated with Weight Reduction and Increased Folate Intake

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