A Cross-Sectional Study of Dietary and Genetic Predictors of Blood Folate Levels in Healthy Young Adults
by
Daniel Cummings 1,†, Kevin F. Dowling 2,†
, Noah J. Silverstein 2, Alexandra S. Tanner 2, Hamdi Eryilmaz 2, Jordan W. Smoller 2 and Joshua L. Roffman 2,*
Daniel Cummings 1,†, Kevin F. Dowling 2,†, Noah J. Silverstein 2, Alexandra S. Tanner 2, Hamdi Eryilmaz 2, Jordan W. Smoller 2 and Joshua L. Roffman 2,*
1
Department of Biopsychology, Tufts University, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Nutrients 2017, 9(9), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9090994
Received: 17 May 2017 / Revised: 15 August 2017 / Accepted: 31 August 2017 / Published: 8 September 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Folic Acid Fortification and Supplement Use: Unanticipated Benefits and Risks)
Since 1998, the U.S. has mandated folic acid (FA) fortification of certain grain products to reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Folate intake and red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations increased substantially post-intervention, although recent studies raise concerns about the level of ongoing benefit. This study investigated blood folate level determinants in healthy young adults, including intake of naturally occurring food folate, synthetic FA, and the interaction of naturally occurring food folate with a common missense variant in the FOLH1 gene thought to affect absorption. Participants (n = 265) completed the Diet History Questionnaire II, RBC folate testing, and were genotyped for the 484T>C FOLH1 variant. Men reported significantly greater intake of all folate sources except for supplemental FA, but RBC folate levels did not significantly differ by sex. Synthetic FA was a stronger predictor of RBC folate than naturally occurring food folate. In the largest racial group, synthetic FA and the interaction of FOLH1 genotype with naturally occurring food folate significantly predicted RBC folate, with the overall model accounting for 13.8% of the variance in RBC folate levels. Blood folate levels rely on a complex interaction of natural and synthetic folate intake as well as FOLH1 genotype.
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Keywords:
FOLH1; dietary folate; RBC folate; folic acid
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MDPI and ACS Style
Cummings, D.; Dowling, K.F.; Silverstein, N.J.; Tanner, A.S.; Eryilmaz, H.; Smoller, J.W.; Roffman, J.L. A Cross-Sectional Study of Dietary and Genetic Predictors of Blood Folate Levels in Healthy Young Adults. Nutrients 2017, 9, 994.
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