BACKGROUND Rates of renal and cardiovascular disease are high among Aboriginal Australians living in remote communities. Nutritional problems, in particular low folate levels, are also common. This suggests that increased homocysteine concentrations might be widespread, and a possible contributor to the high rates of cardiovascular disease. AIMS To examine homocysteine concentrations, and the...

A common polymorphism in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, where a cytosine at nucleotide 677 is replaced by a thymine (677C-->T), is associated with enzyme thermolability and a reduction in the conversion of 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate (5,10-MTHF) into 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. We assessed the association between homozygosity for the MTHFR 677CT genotype (TT) and colorectal...

Elevated circulating total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are related to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Folic acid fortification resulted in a significant decrease in circulating tHcy in the United States. In the post-folic acid fortification period, associations between plasma tHcy and demographic, health, and lifestyle factors and B vitamin status were investigated. Data from ...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the 1998 US Food and Drug Administration folic acid fortification policy on disparities in folate status in the United States. METHODS We use repeated cross-sectional data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), a nationally representative sample of over 14 000 participants ages 25 and older. ...

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency (ID) of a nationally representative sample of the Kuwait population. We also determined if anemia differed by socioeconomic status or by RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels. The subjects who were made up of 1830 males and females between the ages of 2 months to 86 years, were divided into the following a...

BACKGROUND After the 1998 mandatory folic acid fortification of enriched cereal-grain products in the U.S., safety concerns were raised that excess consumption of folic acid and high blood folate biomarkers detected in adults may increase the risk of certain types of cancer. METHODS Baseline data from about 1400 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 199...

Full blood counts, serum ferritin, vitamin B12 and folate, erythrocyte folate concentrations and nutrient intakes were estimated in twenty-three Indian vegetarian, twenty-two Caucasian omnivores and eighteen Caucasian vegetarian women aged 25-40 years. Energy and copper intakes were lower in the Indian women than in the Caucasians. Intakes of dietary fibre, vitamin C and folate were greater and...

Gene-specific promoter methylation of several genes occurs in aging normal tissues and may predispose to tumorigenesis. In the present study, we investigate the association of blood folate levels and dietary and lifestyle factors with CpG island (CGI) methylation in normal colorectal mucosa. Subjects were enrolled in a multicenter chemoprevention trial of aspirin or folic acid for the preventio...

In 1992, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) recommended that women of child-bearing age increase consumption of the vitamin folic acid to reduce spina bifida and anencephaly (neural tube defects [NTD]) cases (1). Since then, national efforts have been implemented to increase the use of dietary supplements containing folic acid (2). In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated...