engleski

Folate status in Croatian women of childbearing age

To reduce the risk of neural tube defects for women capable of becoming pregnant, the recommendation is to take 400 µ g of folic acid daily from fortified foods, supplements, or both in addition to consuming food folate from a varied diet. Recommended dietary intake for adults is 200 μ g of folate. The aim of this study was to assess folate status in Croatian women of childbearing age through (1) dietary folate intake including folate from supplements and fortified foods using de novo developed quantified food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and (2) measuring serum folate levels what is a sensitive indicator of recent dietary folate intake. Subjects were 39 women (mean 34.8 years). Mean daily folate intake, as Dietary Folate Equivalent (DFE) was 226.6 μ g DFE (198.1-255.2, 95 % CI). Folate intake above 200 μ g/day was observed in 51.3 % subjects while only 7.7 % had folate intake higher than 400 μ g. Mean serum folate was 21.5 nmol/L (19.1-23.7, 95 % CI). A serum folate concentration of less than 7 nmol/L indicates negative folate balance at the time the blood sample was drawn. The lowest folate serum value in the studied population was 9 nmol/L. Spearman correlation coefficient for FFQ and serum folate was 0.36 (p=0.023). In conclusion, clinical deficiency in studied population was not observed and average daily folate intake was adequate, although correction would be increased folate intake through supplements and fortified foods for the women that are planning pregnancy.

DFE; serum folate; women; FFQ

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