Folate deficiency has been linked to diverse clinical manifestations and despite the importance of accurate assessment of folate status, the best test for routine use is uncertain. Both serum and red cell folate assays are widely available in clinical laboratories; however, red cell folate is the more time-consuming and costly test. This review sought to evaluate whether the red cell assay demo...

Background: Maternal relatives in neural tube defect (NTD) families have elevated rates of NTDs and of other birth defects. Folic acid supplementation raises blood folate levels and prevents most new cases of NTDs. There is little information on blood folate levels among distant relatives, and on the potential relationship of serum folate to maternal transmission. Methods: A cross-sectional stu...

A variety of lactic acid bacteria were screened for their ability to produce folate intracellularly and/or extracellularly. Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Leuconostoc spp. all produced folate, while most Lactobacillus spp., with the exception of Lactobacillus plantarum, were not able to produce folate. Folate production was further investigated in L. lactis as a model organ...

Loss of folate receptor-α function is associated with cerebral folate transport deficiency and childhood-onset neurodegeneration. To clarify the mechanism of cerebral folate transport at the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, we investigate the transport of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in polarized cells. Here we identify folate receptor-α-positive intralumenal vesicles within multivesicular bodies...

We evaluated folate status of child-bearing age women diagnosed with abnormal pap smear in the US post-folic acid (FA) fortification era and assessed the determinants of NTD-protective and supra-physiologic (SP) concentrations of folate. The distribution of 843 women according to NTD-protective concentrations of RBC folate, plasma folate and SP concentrations of plasma folate were tested in rel...

Alcohol has many effects on folate metabolism. Excess alcohol consumption is often associated with a poor (folate deficient) diet and malabsorption. Alcohol accelerates the induction of megaloblastic anemia in subjects on a low folate diet. It antagonizes the hematopoietic response to folate (75 yg/day) in folate-deficient alcoholics, but its effect can be overcome either by larger doses of fol...

By Biuu’ ui n A. COOPER AND Louis LOWENSTEIN T HE DETERMINATION of folate activity in serum with Lactobacillus casei allows recognition of patients with folate deficien y.13 It has been observed that much of the L. casei-active folate in human serum consists of N5-methyl tetrahydropteroyl monoglutamate,4 and that the concentration of folate activity in serum is increased in some patients with p...

The aim of this systematic review was to collect all available randomized controlled trials on the effect of folate supplementation on folate status and health outcomes within the paediatric age group. The method included a structured search strategy on MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases, with formal inclusion/exclusion criteria and data extraction procedure. We included 26 studies. We conc...

BACKGROUND Folate dose-response studies in women of childbearing age who consumed a folic acid (FA)-containing multivitamin in the era of FA fortification are lacking. OBJECTIVE We sought to investigate folate-status response to a known folate dose comprising an FA-containing prenatal supplement (750 μg/d) plus natural food folate (400 μg/d) in third-trimester pregnant women, lactating women ...

The measurement of folate in red blood cells (RBCs) is preferred since it reflects long-term folate status in the body compared to plasma/serum folate which may be influenced by recent dietary intake. The commonly accepted technique for RBC folate analysis involves preparation of a hemolysate using a fresh whole blood sample. Hematocrit and plasma folate concentrations are needed to calculate R...