HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Near-elimination of folate-deficiency anemia by mandatory folic acid fortification in older US adults: Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study 2003-2007.

AbstractBACKGROUND:
The United States implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of enriched cereal grains in 1998. Although several studies have documented the resulting decrease in anemia and folate deficiency, to our knowledge, no one has determined the prevalence of folate-deficiency anemia after fortification.
OBJECTIVE:
We determined the prevalence of folate deficiency and folate-deficiency anemia within a sample of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort.
DESIGN:
The REGARDS cohort is a prospective cohort of 30,239 black and white participants living in the contiguous United States. We measured serum folate concentrations in a random sample of 1546 REGARDS participants aged ≥50 y with baseline hemoglobin and red blood cell mean corpuscular volume measurements. Folate deficiency was defined as a serum folate concentration <6.6 nmol/L (<3.0 ng/mL), and anemia was defined as a hemoglobin concentration <13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in nonpregnant women (WHO criteria). Folate-deficiency anemia was defined as the presence of both folate deficiency and anemia.
RESULTS:
The mean hemoglobin concentration was 13.6 g/dL, and 15.9% of subjects had anemia. The median serum folate concentration was 34.2 nmol/L (15.1 ng/mL), and only 2 of 1546 participants 0.1%) were folate deficient. Both subjects were African American women with markedly elevated C-reactive protein concentrations, macrocytosis, and normal serum cobalamin concentrations; only one subject was anemic. Overall, the prevalence of folate-deficiency anemia was <0.1% (1 of 1546 subjects).
CONCLUSION:
Our data suggest that, after mandatory folic acid fortification, the prevalence of folate-deficiency anemia is nearly nonexistent in a community-dwelling population in the United States.
AuthorsOluwaseun A Odewole, Rebecca S Williamson, Neil A Zakai, Robert J Berry, Suzanne E Judd, Yan Ping Qi, Demilade A Adedinsewo, Godfrey P Oakley Jr
JournalThe American journal of clinical nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr) Vol. 98 Issue 4 Pg. 1042-7 (Oct 2013) ISSN: 1938-3207 [Electronic] United States
PMID23945721 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)
Chemical References
  • Hemoglobins
  • Folic Acid
Topics
  • Aged
  • Anemia (blood, epidemiology, etiology)
  • Black People
  • Cohort Studies
  • Edible Grain
  • Erythrocyte Indices
  • Female
  • Folic Acid (administration & dosage, blood)
  • Folic Acid Deficiency (epidemiology, ethnology, prevention & control)
  • Food, Fortified
  • Hemoglobins (analysis)
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Racial Groups
  • Sex Factors
  • United States (epidemiology)
  • United States Food and Drug Administration
  • White People

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: