title: Is folate involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease?
abstract: The inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, are common and a significant cause of morbidity. They were rare before the 1930's but the incidence has been increasing in both developed and developing countries. We have recently reported that the incidence in Nova Scotia, the area with one of the highest reported burden globally, is decreasing since 1997. We postulate that this decrease may be due to the addition of folate to cereals. This was mandated in 1998 but the process of fortification began in 1997. There is circumstantial evidence from epidemiology studies that a diet deficient in folate may have contributed to the global rise in these diseases. This hypothesis, if proven to be correct, has important implications for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. Electronic address: desmond.leddin@cdha.nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Desmond
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leddin
authors.forename: Hala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamim
authors.forename: Adrian R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000757:Anencephaly / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005433:Flour / Q000592:standards; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008954:Models, Biological; D009674:Nova Scotia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid