Unmetabolized Serum Folic Acid in Older Adults in the United States

Le résumé fourni par la source

Folic acid (FA) has been referred to as a double‐edged sword given its beneficial role in the prevention of neural tube defects for infants, and yet possible deleterious effects on certain cancers and cognitive function in older adults. Recently, NHANES 1999–2002 data on unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA) in the serum were released. Thus, for the first time since FA fortification of the food supply we can evaluate its impact on UMFA. Data on serum methyltetrahydrofolate, folic acid, and total folate were available for 2864 person age 60–85 y. Total UMFA for the group was 50 pmol/mL (SE 0.69). Females has higher methyltetrahydrofolate (55 vs 42 pmol/mL), folic acid (1.93 vs 1.19 pmol/mL), and total UMFA than males (54 vs 45 pmol/mL). All serum UMFA measures were higher in FA dietary supplement users than non‐users; similarly, serum UMFA measures were related to FA in the diet (i.e. fortified foods). Non‐Hispanic whites had higher levels of UMFA than non‐Hispanic blacks and Mexican‐Americans (corn masa flour is not fortified with FA). Little is known about UMFA in older adults where DS use is pervasive. Thus, while FA is beneficial to reproductive age females the consequences of exposure in older adults is only recently being investigated. This work helps to characterize the impact that FA fortification and dietary supplement use has on serum UMFA in a representative sample of older adults in the US.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.