Total folate and folic acid intake from foods and dietary supplements in the United States: 2003-2006.
BACKGROUND
The term total folate intake is used to represent folate that occurs naturally in food as well as folic acid from fortified foods and dietary supplements. Folic acid has been referred to as a double-edged sword because of its beneficial role in the prevention of neural tube defects and yet possible deleterious effects on certain cancers and cognitive function. Previous monitoring efforts did not include folic acid from dietary supplements and are therefore not complete.


OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to combine data on dietary folate (as measured by two 24-h recalls) and folic acid from dietary supplements (collected with a 30-d frequency questionnaire) with the use of the bias-corrected best power method to adjust for within-person variability.


METHODS
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey. Linear contrasts were constructed to determine differences in dietary and total folate intake for age and racial-ethnic groups by sex; prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes is presented.


RESULTS
In 2003-2006, 53% of the US population used dietary supplements; 34.5% used dietary supplements that contained folic acid. Total folate intake (in dietary folate equivalents) was higher for men (813 +/- 14) than for women (724 +/- 16) and higher for non-Hispanic whites (827 +/- 19) than for Mexican Americans (615 +/- 11) and non-Hispanic blacks (597 +/- 12); 29% of non-Hispanic black women had inadequate intakes. Total folate and folic acid intakes are highest for those aged > or =50 y, and 5% exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level.


CONCLUSIONS
Improved total folate intake is warranted in targeted subgroups, which include women of childbearing age and non-Hispanic black women, whereas other population groups are at risk of excessive intake.
Bailey
Regan L
RL
Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-7517, USA. baileyr@mail.nih.gov
Dodd
Kevin W
KW
Gahche
Jaime J
JJ
Dwyer
Johanna T
JT
McDowell
Margaret A
MA
Yetley
Elizabeth A
EA
Sempos
Christopher A
CA
Burt
Vicki L
VL
Radimer
Kathy L
KL
Picciano
Mary Frances
MF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005504:Food Analysis; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
D005492:Folic Acid