Perspective: Time to Resolve Confusion on Folate Amounts, Units, and Forms in Prenatal Supplements.

Advances in Nutrition
Leila G SaldanhaNancy Potischman

Abstract

Folate-containing prenatal supplements are commonly consumed in the United States, but inconsistencies in units of measure and chemical forms pose challenges for providing authoritative advice on recommended amounts. New regulations require folate to be declared as micrograms of dietary folate equivalents (DFE) on product labels, whereas intake recommendations for reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) and the Tolerable Upper Intake Level are expressed as micrograms of folic acid. Today, >25% of prenatal supplements contain folate as synthetic salts of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF), but recommendations do not include this form of the vitamin. Harmonizing units of measure and addressing newer forms of folate salts in intake recommendations and in the prevention of NTDs would resolve the confusion.

References

Dec 24, 1997·Journal of the American Dietetic Association·J A Pennington, V S Hubbard
Jun 7, 2003·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition·James L MillsD Robert Dufour
Jan 9, 2007·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition·Roy M Pitkin
Dec 6, 2012·The American Journal of Psychiatry·J Craig Nelson
Mar 14, 2013·Journal of Perinatal Medicine·Rima ObeidKlaus Pietrzik
Jan 18, 2017·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·UNKNOWN US Preventive Services Task ForceChien-Wen Tseng
Jun 3, 2017·Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics·Leila G SaldanhaPamela R Pehrsson
Mar 3, 2018·BMJ : British Medical Journal·James L MillsEdward H Reynolds
Jun 22, 2019·JAMA Network Open·Regan L BaileyPatrick M Catalano

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