The Experts below are selected from a list of 207 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Young-in Kim - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Is Folic Acid good for everyone
The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2008Co-Authors: A. David Smith, Young-in Kim, Helga RefsumAbstract:Fortification of food with Folic Acid to reduce the number of neural tube defects was introduced 10 y ago in North America. Many countries are considering whether to adopt this policy. When fortification is introduced, several hundred thousand people are exposed to an increased intake of Folic Acid for each neural tube defect pregnancy that is prevented. Are the benefits to the few outweighed by possible harm to some of the many exposed? In animals, a Folic Acid-rich diet can influence DNA and histone methylation, which leads to phenotypic changes in subsequent generations. In humans, increased Folic Acid intake leads to elevated blood concentrations of naturally occurring folates and of unmetabolized Folic Acid. High blood concentrations of Folic Acid may be related to decreased natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and high folate status may reduce the response to antifolate drugs used against malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer. In the elderly, a combination of high folate levels and low vitamin B-12 status may be associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and anemia and, in pregnant women, with an increased risk of insulin resistance and obesity in their children. Folate has a dual effect on cancer, protecting against cancer initiation but facilitating progression and growth of preneoplastic cells and subclinical cancers, which are common in the population. Thus, a high Folic Acid intake may be harmful for some people. Nations considering fortification should be cautious and stimulate further research to identify the effects, good and bad, caused by a high intake of Folic Acid from fortified food or dietary supplements. Only then can authorities develop the right strategies for the population as a whole.
-
will mandatory Folic Acid fortification prevent or promote cancer
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004Co-Authors: Young-in KimAbstract:An overwhelming body of evidence for a protective effect of periconceptional Folic Acid supplementation against neural tube defects (NTDs) led to mandatory Folic Acid fortification in the United States. The effectiveness of Folic Acid fortification in improving folate status has already been shown to be quite striking, with a dramatic increase in blood measurements of folate in the United States. Preliminary reports also suggest a significant reduction ( approximately 15-50%) in NTDs in the United States. The success of Folic Acid fortification in improving folate status and in reducing NTD rates is truly a public health triumph and provides a paradigm of collaboration between science and public health policy. Although Folic Acid is generally regarded as safe, there continues to be concern that Folic Acid fortification may have adverse effects in subpopulation groups not originally targeted for fortification. In this regard, an emerging body of evidence suggests that Folic Acid supplementation may enhance the development and progression of already existing, undiagnosed premalignant and malignant lesions. Over the past few years, the US population has been exposed to a significant increase in folate intake, for which essentially no data on safety exist. The potential cancer-promoting effect of Folic Acid supplementation needs to be considered in carefully monitoring the long-term effect of Folic Acid fortification on the vast majority of the US population, who are not at risk of NTDs.
John M. Scott - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Postprandial serum Folic Acid response to multiple doses of Folic Acid in fortified bread.
The British journal of nutrition, 2006Co-Authors: M. R. Sweeney, Joseph Mcpartlin, D. G. Weir, Leslie Daly, John M. ScottAbstract:The benefit of the introduction of mandatory Folic Acid fortification of all flour products in the USA in 1998 has been amply demonstrated in a reduction of neural tube defect births. Doubt has been cast on the actual level of fortification and recent calculations have shown that the level of Folic Acid fortification is likely to have been over twice the amount mandated. The implication of this is that a greater proportion of the population are likely to have consumed Folic Acid at >1 mg/d, the Food and Drug Administration safe upper level of intake. Using the criteria of appearance of synthetic Folic Acid in serum, the objective of this pilot study was to investigate the consequences of consumption of baked bread preparations containing 1 mg Folic Acid. Four healthy adult volunteers undertook each dosing schedule 2 weeks apart. This consisted of a single dose of 1000 microg, two doses of 500 microg, three doses of 333 microg, five doses of 200 microg and, finally, ten doses of 100 microg. Serum was collected pre- and postprandially and analysed for synthetic Folic Acid by a combined HPLC-microbiological assay for Folic Acid. Folic Acid appeared in all subjects at all test doses, with the effect more pronounced as the standard dose was administered in smaller amounts over the test period. Approaches to optimise Folic Acid intake in target populations as part of a universal fortification strategy should take into consideration the potential hazard of over-exposure in groups consuming high amounts of flour-based products.
Judy Cunningham - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Estimates of Total Dietary Folic Acid Intake in the Australian Population Following Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification of Bread
Journal of nutrition and metabolism, 2012Co-Authors: Jacinta Dugbaza, Judy CunninghamAbstract:Mandatory Folic Acid fortification of wheat flour for making bread was implemented in Australia in September 2009, to improve the dietary folate status of women of child-bearing age, and help reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in the population. This paper presents estimates of Folic Acid intake in the target population and other subgroups of the Australian population following implementation of the mandatory Folic Acid fortification standard. In June/July 2010 one hundred samples from seven bread categories were purchased from around the country and individually analysed for the amount of Folic Acid they contained. A modification to the triple enzyme microbiological method was used to measure Folic Acid in the individual bread samples. The Folic Acid analytical values together with national food consumption data were used to generate estimates of the population's Folic Acid intake from fortified foods. Food Standards Australia New Zealand's (FSANZ) custom-built dietary modelling program (DIAMOND) was used for the estimates. The mean amount of Folic Acid found in white bread was 200 μg/100 g which demonstrated that Folic-Acid-fortified wheat flour was used to bake the bread. The intake estimates indicated an increase in mean Folic Acid intake of 159 μg per day for the target group. Other sub-groups of the population also showed increases in estimated mean daily intake of Folic Acid.
Joan Fernández-ballart - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Folic Acid supplementation and riboflavin status.
Clinical Chemistry, 2003Co-Authors: Michelle Murphy, Joan Fernández-ballartAbstract:Flour in the US is fortified with Folic Acid and riboflavin. Folic Acid reduces mean plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration (1). Riboflavin has been associated with reduced tHcy in homozygotes for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ) C677T polymorphism (2). In a study that investigated the effect of riboflavin status on the tHcy-lowering response of folate interventions, Moat el al. (3) reported that riboflavin status is compromised after Folic Acid supplementation. Subjects were assigned to three interventions (each lasting 4 months) using a crossover design: ( a ) usual diet but avoiding Folic Acid-fortified foods, plus a daily placebo tablet; ( b ) usual diet plus additional Folic-Acid-fortified and folate-rich foods to achieve at least 400 μg of Folic Acid/day; ( c ) usual diet but avoiding Folic-Acid-fortified foods, plus a Folic Acid supplement of 400 μg/day. Moat el al. (3) reported that suboptimal riboflavin status [erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRAC) ≥1.4] increased from 52% at baseline to 62% after intervention 3. The authors suggested that this was attributable to supplementation with Folic Acid and proposed two possible mechanisms in which circulating flavins would be reduced as a consequence of the effect of enhanced folate status on MTHFR activity. However, their data show … [↵][1]bAddress correspondence to this author at: Wales Heart Research Institute, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, United Kingdom. Fax 44-29-2074-3500; e-mail: moatsj{at}cardiff.ac.uk. [1]: #xref-corresp-2-1
M. R. Sweeney - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Postprandial serum Folic Acid response to multiple doses of Folic Acid in fortified bread.
The British journal of nutrition, 2006Co-Authors: M. R. Sweeney, Joseph Mcpartlin, D. G. Weir, Leslie Daly, John M. ScottAbstract:The benefit of the introduction of mandatory Folic Acid fortification of all flour products in the USA in 1998 has been amply demonstrated in a reduction of neural tube defect births. Doubt has been cast on the actual level of fortification and recent calculations have shown that the level of Folic Acid fortification is likely to have been over twice the amount mandated. The implication of this is that a greater proportion of the population are likely to have consumed Folic Acid at >1 mg/d, the Food and Drug Administration safe upper level of intake. Using the criteria of appearance of synthetic Folic Acid in serum, the objective of this pilot study was to investigate the consequences of consumption of baked bread preparations containing 1 mg Folic Acid. Four healthy adult volunteers undertook each dosing schedule 2 weeks apart. This consisted of a single dose of 1000 microg, two doses of 500 microg, three doses of 333 microg, five doses of 200 microg and, finally, ten doses of 100 microg. Serum was collected pre- and postprandially and analysed for synthetic Folic Acid by a combined HPLC-microbiological assay for Folic Acid. Folic Acid appeared in all subjects at all test doses, with the effect more pronounced as the standard dose was administered in smaller amounts over the test period. Approaches to optimise Folic Acid intake in target populations as part of a universal fortification strategy should take into consideration the potential hazard of over-exposure in groups consuming high amounts of flour-based products.
