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Review
. 2023 Dec 26:67.
doi: 10.29219/fnr.v67.10258. eCollection 2023.

Folate - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Anne-Lise Bjørke-Monsen  1 , Per Magne Ueland  2
Affiliations
Review

Folate - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Anne-Lise Bjørke-Monsen et al. Food Nutr Res. .

Abstract

Folate is an essential micronutrient for normal development and metabolic function, and folate deficiency is associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental dysfuntion and negative pregnancy outcomes. When estimating folate requirements, one must consider different bioavailability and functionality between synthetic folic acid and dietary folate, together with increased needs of folate in women of fertile age, pregnant and lactating women, preterm and small for gestational age weight infants and individuals who are homozygote for the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism. In order to achieve an adequate metabolic status based on the metabolic marker total homocysteine, and not merely the absence of clinical signs of folate deficiency, the recommended intake of folate differs according to age, pregnancy and lactation. According to the World Health Organization, a decision limit for folate deficiency in adults is serum folate level below 10 nmol/L, and in women of fertile age a red blood cell folate level below 906 nmol/L in order to prevent neural tube defects. Qualified systematic reviews along with identified relevant literature have been used for this scoping review prepared for the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023.

Keywords: folate; folic acid; homocysteine; nutrition recommendations; one-carbon metabolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have not received any funding or benefits from industry or elsewhere to conduct this study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Serum folate concentrations in children aged 4 days to 18 years.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Change in plasma tHcy in relation to serum folate in adults >16 years with normal renal function and serum cobalamin >275 pmol/L (n = 12,988) by generalized additive models (GAMs). The values on the y-axis represent the difference from mean plasma tHcy. Published with permission of the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association (60).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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