Justifying the “Folate trap” in folic acid fortification programs
-
Niraj N. Mahajan
, Kshitija N. Mahajan , Rajani N. Soni and Nilima L. Gaikwad
Abstract
Many countries have now adopted fortification, where folic acid is added to flour and intended to benefit all with rise in blood folate level. During many transformations of folate from one form to another, a proportion is accidentally converted to N5-methyl-THF, an inactive metabolite, the so-called “folate trap”. Consideration should be given to including B12 as well as folic acid in any program of supplementation or food fortification to prevent NTDs. This is especially applicable to developing countries like India where the majority of women are vegetarians and have borderline levels of vitamin B12. Administration of [6S]-5-MTHF is more effective than is folic acid supplementation at improving folate status. Therefore, we urge to reconsider the “folate trap” in folic acid fortification programs.
©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- European consensus guidelines on the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
- Hypogastric artery ligation for severe hemorrhage in obstetric patients
- Hypogastric artery ligation: a stitch in time
- Labor induction in preeclampsia: Is misoprostol more effective than dinoprostone?
- Neurokinin B levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood in preeclamptic and normal pregnancies
- Intrauterine infection induced oligodendrocyte injury and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in the developing rat brain
- Chaotic indices and canonical ensemble of heart rate patterns in small-for-gestational age fetuses
- The cisterna magna size in normal second-trimester fetuses
- Type and number of sites colonized by fungi and risk of progression to invasive fungal infection in preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care unit
- Serratia marcescens bacteremia – an indicator for outbreak management and heightened surveillance
- A device for adsorbing unbound, unconjugated bilirubin and its effects in vitro and in a hyperbilirubinemic newborn piglet
- The influence of thermal environment on pulmonary hemodynamic acclimation to extrauterine life in normal full-term neonates
- Justifying the “Folate trap” in folic acid fortification programs
- Immune functions after severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome
- Are recurrent hyperglycemic episodes and median blood glucose level a prognostic factor for increased morbidity and mortality in premature infants ≤1500 g?
- Gastroschisis: primary closure using umbilical cord strengthened by a polypropylene mesh
- Neonatal antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of early- and late-onset Group B streptococcal sepsis
- Reply
- Management of a rare cause of neonatal airway obstruction: cervical teratoma
- Congress Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- European consensus guidelines on the management of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
- Hypogastric artery ligation for severe hemorrhage in obstetric patients
- Hypogastric artery ligation: a stitch in time
- Labor induction in preeclampsia: Is misoprostol more effective than dinoprostone?
- Neurokinin B levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood in preeclamptic and normal pregnancies
- Intrauterine infection induced oligodendrocyte injury and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in the developing rat brain
- Chaotic indices and canonical ensemble of heart rate patterns in small-for-gestational age fetuses
- The cisterna magna size in normal second-trimester fetuses
- Type and number of sites colonized by fungi and risk of progression to invasive fungal infection in preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care unit
- Serratia marcescens bacteremia – an indicator for outbreak management and heightened surveillance
- A device for adsorbing unbound, unconjugated bilirubin and its effects in vitro and in a hyperbilirubinemic newborn piglet
- The influence of thermal environment on pulmonary hemodynamic acclimation to extrauterine life in normal full-term neonates
- Justifying the “Folate trap” in folic acid fortification programs
- Immune functions after severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome
- Are recurrent hyperglycemic episodes and median blood glucose level a prognostic factor for increased morbidity and mortality in premature infants ≤1500 g?
- Gastroschisis: primary closure using umbilical cord strengthened by a polypropylene mesh
- Neonatal antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of early- and late-onset Group B streptococcal sepsis
- Reply
- Management of a rare cause of neonatal airway obstruction: cervical teratoma
- Congress Calendar