Folate
Judy A. Driskell, Ira Wolinsky in Sports Nutrition, 2005
Clinical manifestations of folate deficiency occur only after severe depletion of the vitamin on the tissue level.9 Folate deficiency could be prompted by several conditions: A folate deficient diet for 2 to 4 monthsChronic alcoholismPregnancy or lactation without increased intakeHypermetabolic statesDisorders of the intestines that cause a decrease in folate absorptionMedications such as oral contraceptives, phenytoin and other anticonvulsantsFolic acid antagonists used to treat cancer, such as methotrexate and aminopterin13
Role of Nutraceuticals in Risk of Miscarriage and Related Outcomes
Priyanka Bhatt, Maryam Sadat Miraghajani, Sarvadaman Pathak, Yashwant Pathak in Nutraceuticals for Prenatal, Maternal and Offspring’s Nutritional Health, 2019
Folic acid, also known as vitamin B, is another critical nutraceutical that helps with the prevention of miscarriage, neural tube defects (NTDs), and low birth weight. Vitamin B is a coenzyme for purine and pyrimidine precursors that are found in nucleic acids and are vital for the proper DNA synthesis of the foetus. Pregnant women are at an increased risk of folate deficiency as it is needed in excess amounts for proper foetal growth. Mothers deficient in folic acid have an increased risk of miscarriage, IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction, where the fetus is much smaller in size than expected), PE (pre-eclampsia, where the mother has elevated blood pressure and urine with high amount of protein), and placental abruption. Pregnant women are told to start taking vitamin B supplements, starting with their periconceptional period. These supplements are critical for the cell proliferation of the foetus during the commencement of pregnancy [20]. Multivitamins with folic acid are important nutraceuticals for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There is a strong correlation between increased risk of miscarriage due to folate deficiency. On average, women that have a lower concentration of folate in plasma, are more likely to have a miscarriage [21] (Table 6.5) (Figure 6.5).
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Mary J. Marian, Gerard E. Mullin in Integrating Nutrition Into Practice, 2017
Folate is important for DNA synthesis and red blood cell development. The daily recommended intake is between 400 and 1000 µg of folic acid as this vitamin cannot be stored in large quantities within the body and stores can be quickly depleted [148]. Folate deficiency in the general population is much less common now that cereals and other grain products are enriched with folate, although this deficiency is still common in CD [149]. The cause of folate deficiency in CD has been shown to be multifactorial including inadequate dietary intake, intestinal inflammation causing poor absorption, and medication-induced mechanisms. Both sulfasalazine and methotrexate inhibit the uptake of folate and lead to deficiency; therefore, patients on these two medications must be on daily supplementation of 1 mg of folic acid daily [150].
The association between serum folate and ultrasound - defined hepatic steatosis
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2023
Xingxing Chen, Jiajia Lu, Qi Xu, Bin Chen, Lijun Shen
Approaches that restrict cholesterol transport to the liver could theoretically be utilized to prevent or reverse steatosis. Even when body weight is not restored to normal, weight loss, whether accomplished by a self-imposed low-calorie diet or bariatric surgery, cures NAFLD and enhances hepatic insulin sensitivity. Contrarily, weight reduction is challenging to achieve and even more challenging to keep off; just 20% of obese persons are able to do so [6]. As a result, pharmaceutical approaches are being aggressively pursued to reverse hepatic steatosis. Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that is required for one-carbon transfer reactions such as nucleic acid production, methylation events, and sulfur-amino-acid metabolism. Because the liver is a key storage and processing organ for folate [7], it is critical for maintaining folate homeostasis throughout the body [8]. Folate deficiency is a frequent nutrient shortage that affects persons who have liver illness. The effect of serum folic acid in hepatic steatosis, on the other hand, is unknown. The goal of this study was to use controlled transient elastography to look into the link between serum folate and hepatic steatosis utilizing a sizable, nationally typical population from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Are the Level of Knowledge and Practices of Pregnant Women Regarding Folic Acid Supplementation Still Inadequate? A Cross-Sectional Study in a Middle Eastern Urban Setting
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018
Antoine Aoun, Lara Faddoul, Flora El Jabbour, Nada El Osta, Sani Hlais, Lana El Osta
Folate deficiency among pregnant women has been strongly associated with severe birth defects. Several studies confirmed that taking 400 µg/day of folic acid (FA) before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) by 50% to 60% (Pitkin, 2007). Moreover, FA supplementation preconception significantly reduced the risk of small for gestational age (SGA < 10th percentile) at birth by around 40% (Hodgetts et al., 2013). Recent data reported higher hemoglobin levels and lower anemia incidence at delivery in pregnant women taking a prenatal medical food containing folate and high-dose vitamin B12 compared to women taking standard prenatal vitamins (Bentley et al., 2011). Other evidence also suggests an association between FA supplementation and reduced risk of preeclampsia, probably by improving placental and systemic endothelial functions and by lowering blood homocysteine levels (Wen et al., 2016).
Maternal B vitamin intake during pregnancy and childhood behavioral problems in Japan: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2020
Yoshihiro Miyake, Keiko Tanaka, Hitomi Okubo, Satoshi Sasaki, Masashi Arakawa
It is difficult for pregnant women to obtain the recommended amounts of folate through diet alone; thus, folic acid supplement use is recommended. A study of pregnant Japanese women who had not taken multi-vitamin supplements showed that folate intake was less than the estimated average requirement, yet more than 50% of the subjects could maintain blood folate values greater than the cut-off value indicating folate deficiency.9 Mandatory folic acid food fortification has been implemented in some countries such as the United States and Canada10 while very few foods are fortified with folic acid in Japan; thus, Japan offers advantages for the assessment of folate intake from foods. Here, the present prebirth cohort study in Japan investigated the association between maternal intake of folate and vitamins B12, B6, and B2 during pregnancy and the risk of behavioral problems in the children at 5 years of age using data from the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study (KOMCHS).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Fatigue
- Infertility
- Low Birth Weight
- Megaloblastic Anemia
- Palpitations
- Shortness of Breath
- Preterm Birth
- Pregnancy
- Folate
- Shortness of Breath
- Emotional & Behavioral Disorders