[net-gold] MEDICAL: ISSUES : FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET : NUTRITION: VITAMINS AND MINERALS: NIH Study Addresses Concerns About High Folate Levels
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:50:01 -0400 (EDT)
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MEDICAL: ISSUES :
FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET : NUTRITION: VITAMINS AND MINERALS:
NIH Study Addresses Concerns About High Folate Levels
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Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 16:18:18 -0400
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <olib@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: NIHPRESS@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: NIH Study Addresses Concerns About High Folate Levels
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
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Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, June 8, 2011, 4 p.m. EDT
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CONTACT:
Robert Bock
or
Marianne Glass Miller
301-496-5133
e-mail:
bockr@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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NIH STUDY ADDRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT HIGH FOLATE LEVELS
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Increased folic acid from supplements,
fortified foods not likely to affect B12 deficiency
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Taking folic acid supplements or eating fortified grain products is
unlikely to worsen problems related to low levels of vitamin B12,
according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and five
other institutions in the United States, Ireland and Norway.
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In the United States, bread, cereal and other enriched flour products have
been fortified with folic acid (the synthetic form of the vitamin folate)
since 1998.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/folate
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Women with low levels of folate are at increased risk for conceiving a
child with birth defects of the brain and spinal cord known as neural tube
defects.
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/neural_tube_defects.cfm
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The number of infants born with these birth defects has fallen since
fortified foods were introduced.
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http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FolicAcidFortification
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Researchers have been concerned that the level of folic acid in fortified
grains--needed to reduce women's risk for conceiving a child with a neural
tube defect-- might be too high for other people. These concerns stem from
earlier studies that found higher rates of anemia and other blood
abnormalities in people with low B12 levels who also had high folate
levels. The people with low B12 and high folate levels were more likely
to have anemia than did people with low B12 levels and normal folate
levels.
.
However, many of these studies were conducted in older people, a group
more likely to have difficulty absorbing B12. Researchers were uncertain
whether these blood abnormalities were due to the high folate levels or to
medical conditions common to older people. For this reason, the NIH
researchers conducted the current study in otherwise healthy younger
people to determine if high folate levels alone had an influence on B12
metabolism.
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The body uses vitamin B12 to make red blood cells
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http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-QuickFacts
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Because they
may have difficulty absorbing sufficient B12, it is recommended that
adults over age 50 should take a supplement. People with low B12 levels
can develop anemia, a condition in which the body does not make enough red
blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000574.htm
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They may also develop numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
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"Our findings are reassuring for people who have low vitamin B12 levels,"
said first author James L. Mills, M.D., M.S., senior investigator in the
Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD), the NIH institute that conducted the study. "We found no
evidence that folate could worsen their health problems. Consuming higher
amounts of folate does not seem to interfere with the body's use of
vitamin B12 in otherwise healthy individuals."
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Folate is the naturally occurring form of folic acid. Leafy green
vegetables, citrus fruits, and beans all are sources of the vitamin.
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The NIH researchers theorized that underlying medical problems among
elderly participants could have affected earlier results. One such
potential problem is pernicious anemia
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001595
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a condition in which the body does not make enough of the protein needed
to absorb B12 from the intestines. Other disorders or a history of
intestinal surgery also could hinder the absorption of B12.
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For their study, the researchers examined blood samples from a group of
B12-deficient university students, screening the samples for conditions
that could affect B12 absorption. The researchers found no increase in
anemia rates or blood abnormalities in the high-folate group when compared
with the low-folate group.
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"In our study, we carefully checked for people who had intestinal surgery
or disorders that disrupt the absorption of B12, to be sure that they did
not bias our analysis," Dr. Mills said.
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Dr. Mills conducted the study in collaboration with nine researchers at
the NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute; Trinity College in
Ireland; the University of California, Berkeley; the Health Research Board
of Ireland; and the University of Bergen, Norway.
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Their findings appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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More than 2,500 university students participated in the study. They
reported the amount and type of fortified foods and vitamin supplements
they had consumed in the previous week and in an average month. They also
provided blood samples.
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The researchers found that about 5 percent of the students were B12
deficient. The researchers further divided the students with low B12 into
two groups: those with high blood folate levels, and those with low folate
levels.
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To diagnose anemia, the researchers measured blood levels of the protein
hemoglobin. They found that the rates of anemia did not differ
significantly between the two groups. Moreover, those with high folate
levels did not have higher blood concentrations of chemicals that are
increased when B12 function is abnormal.
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"High folate does not appear to increase the risk of anemia among healthy
people with low B12 levels," Dr. Mills said.
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To reduce their risk of conceiving a child with a neural tube defect, it
is recommended that all women capable of becoming pregnant consume 400
micrograms per day of synthetic folic acid (from fortified foods and/or
supplements) in addition to food forms of folate from a varied diet
.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
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The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the
Institute's website at
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http://www.nichd.nih.gov
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About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical
research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary
federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and
translational medical research, and is investigating the causes,
treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more
information about NIH and its programs, visit
http://www.nih.gov
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##
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This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2011/nichd-08.htm
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Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne@xxxxxxxxxx
http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com
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