Folic Acid

GAO report on 12 prenatal supplements: ‘Unnecessarily alarmist’ and ‘Where’s the statistical significance?’

15-Jan-2024 By Stephen Daniells

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a report on prenatal supplements, which includes data on the testing of 12 different products and some wide-ranging recommendations calling for greater FDA oversight.

Low folic acid levels linked to severe sleeping difficulty

08-Nov-2023 By Nikki Hancocks

New research links low folic acid levels to difficulty sleeping, suggesting supplementation may be beneficial to the prevention of insomnia, potentially via a direct impact on the body's circadian rhythm.

High dose folic acid in pregnancy may shorten infant telomere length, researchers say

25-Oct-2023 By Olivia Brown

A new study has observed a significant association between very high intakes of folic acid (FA) during pregnancy and shorter telomere lengths in children aged four.

Vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation shows metabolic health benefits in kids – India RCT

21-Jun-2023 By Tingmin Koe

The supplementation of vitamin B12 and folic acid in toddlers has reduced their plasma concentrations of fasting total homocysteine (tHcy) – an amino acid that is linked to cardiometabolic diseases when in elevated levels.

Impaired vitamin B6 and folate status linked to low birth weights, study suggests

24-Apr-2023 By Olivia Brown

The new prospective cohort study finds that low vitamin B6 and impaired folate levels were associated with low birth weights (LBWs) in the south Indian pregnant women studied.

CRN: 'One product should not be expected to provide 100% of each person’s precise nutritional needs'

13-Apr-2023

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has responded to a recent study which found only one dietary supplement meeting the nutritional recommendations for pregnancy for six key nutrients.

Almost no US supplements provide key nutrients in doses needed for pregnancy: Study

11-Apr-2023

After analyzing over 20,000 dietary supplements, researchers found only one that met the nutritional recommendations for pregnancy for vitamin A, vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids when used to supplement the participants'...

Low B vitamin levels can lead to arterial degradation independent of cholesterol, study suggests

12-Sep-2022 By Hank Schultz

Research using an automated animal model of the human arterial wall injury has suggested that low levels of B vitamins can lead to damage to the arteries in a mechanism independent of cholesterol, but which can exacerbate the development of plaques when...

Researchers find strong evidence for prenatal vitamins, but find few products that meet recommendations

12-Jul-2022 By Hank Schultz

A new review has found strong support for the use of many vitamins and other dietary ingredients in prenatal supplements. But the researches also found that few supplements marketed to expectant mothers meet their recommended dosage levels.

Researchers devise scoring system for male fertility supplements

18-Apr-2022 By Hank Schultz

Italian researchers have come up with a scoring system for supplements aimed at improving male fertility. Their analysis shows among the many ingredients used in such supplements, folic acid, inositol and NAC seemed the most promising.

Market check: Folic acid supplements for pregnant women meet requirements

15-Mar-2021 By Nikki Hancocks

A new analysis of folic acid supplements available on the Spanish market for pregnant women has found supplements are consistent with declared dosages and meet legal requirements for stated health claims.

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines support dietary supplement use

08-Jan-2021 By Stephen Daniells

Folic acid supplements for mothers, vitamin D supplements for infants, and B12 supplements for older adults are just some of the recommendations in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but there is barely any mention of omega-3s.

Nitrate-rich beetroot juice reduces blood pressure, trial finds

11-Aug-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Nitrate-rich beetroot juice reduces blood pressure in adults with elevated blood pressure, according to a new double-blind randomised controlled feasibility trial conducted in Africa.

Prenatal folic acid supplementation may also offer cognitive benefits for children

26-Mar-2020 By Stephen Daniells

The importance of folic acid before conception and during the first trimester are well established, but new data from Ireland indicates that maintaining supplementation beyond the first trimester may lead to cognitive performance benefits for the child.

Ministers have ‘moral duty’ to act in folic acid fortification, say experts

03-Jan-2020 By Will Chu

Leading nutrition experts are calling on the UK government to fortify flour and grains with folic acid to help prevent birth defects as a final decision draws near after a 12-week public consultation.

US low-income mothers aren’t getting enough folate, study reveals

05-Jun-2018 By Adi Menayang

A majority of poor women in urban areas are still at risk of folic acid and folate deficiency, even with government-sanctioned mandatory fortifications, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Vitamin Packs adds pre- and post-natal, multivitamin supplement to subscription service

15-Jan-2018 By Adi Menayang

Supplement subscription company Vitamin Packs adds a daily multivitamin and Pre-Post Natal multivitamin to its array of options.

Maternal use of folic acid and vitamins linked to reduced autism risk in children

04-Jan-2018 By Will Chu

Mothers, who use folic acid and multivitamin supplements before and during pregnancy, appear to reduce their offspring’s risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study from Israel.

Dietary management of OCD: Study links metabolism and vitamin D status to disease severity

18-Aug-2017 By Nathan Gray

One carbon metabolism that includes vitamin B12 and homocysteine, plus vitamin D deficiency could all play a role in the onset of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), research suggests.

Prenatal milkshake brand Mommi eyes post-partum opportunities

04-Aug-2017 By Adi Menayang

Small company Mommi is ready to expand in the mother’s health category, eyeing opportunities in post-partum supplements, said co-founder and CEO Erin Schurtz.

Choline and vitamin B supplementation may improve post-stroke brain function

31-Jul-2017 By Adi Menayang

Supplementing B-vitamins and choline in mice with simulated ischemic brain damage—similar to post-stroke conditions—improved their motor function and task completion processes, according to Canadian researchers.

L-Arginine-B vitamin combination effective for blood pressure improvements: Study

22-Feb-2017 By Stephen Daniells

A combination of l-arginine with folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 may improve vascular function and help reduce blood pressure, says a new study from Germany.

Micronutrient supplementation for mothers boosts infant cognitive health: Follow-up study

27-Jan-2017 By Millette Burgos

Pregnant women should take more micronutrients aside from iron and folic acid to boost the long-term cognitive development of their children, according to a major follow-up study from Indonesia.

‘Government recommendation is clear’: Statement published in JAMA supports folic acid supplementation for healthy pregnancy

11-Jan-2017 By Adi Menayang

Even in the era of mandatory fortification, experts back the need of folic acid supplementation among women of childbearing age.

Study supports Quatrefolic’s homocysteine reduction potential for hypertensives

30-Nov-2016 By Adi Menayang

Italian researchers looked at how a “biologically active form of folate” can reduce high-levels of homocysteine, which may lead to cardiovascular risk, among hypertensive populations.

Folic acid fortification linked to lower heart defect rates

31-Aug-2016 By Will Chu

Food fortified with folic acid has been found to decrease the number of babies born with heart abnormalities, according to research.

Gnosis launches chart to explain folic acid doses to consumers

05-Jul-2016 By Adi Menayang

To address increasing consumer concern on folic acid supplementation, Gnosis released a flow chart that shows the folate metabolic pathway.

B vitamins may boost cognitive ability in older adults: Study

19-Feb-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Supplementation with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid may improve cognitive function in older people with mild cognitive impairment, says a new study from Korea.

Folate supplementation during pregnancy may improve child’s attention system

01-Feb-2016 By Adi Menayang

After a study that took almost a decade to complete, researchers in Europe found that supplementing mothers with folate during pregnancy may help improve their child’s attention system 8.5 years later.

‘An exciting finding’: Are the brain health benefits of B vitamins dependent on omega-3 levels?

06-Jul-2015 By Stephen Daniells

B vitamins may protect against age-related brain wasting, but only in people with high omega-3 levels, says a new study from the University of Oxford that extends our understanding of how nutrients work together.

How effective is fortifying flour at reducing anaemia?

24-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Fortifying flour with micronutrients is effective in decreasing national prevalence of anaemia, say researchers who looked at 32 different countries.

What do 36 countries say about folate and folic acid pre-conception?

24-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Five countries recommend folate and folic acid consumption around conception above and beyond World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, while five others dismiss supplementation as unnecessary, report finds. 

Folic supplements could help elderly fight heat problems: Study

02-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Folic acid supplements could help prevent heat-induced cardiovascular events in elderly people by improving blood vessel dilation, say researchers.

Folic acid may help reduce stroke risk: 5-year study

16-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A combination of folic acid and the medication enalapril may be more effective in reducing the risk of stroke in adults with hypertension than the medication alone, according to large-scale research from China.

GM folate rice could help tackle neural tube defects, say researchers

30-Jan-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Rice metabolically engineered to be rich in folates could help alleviate associated health problems of folate deficiency, according to researchers.

Folic acid & vitamin B12 may not improve cognitive performance, says 2-year study

13-Nov-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Vitamin B9 (folic acid) and vitamin B12 (cobalamin) do not benefit thinking and memory in elderly people despite lowering levels of an Alzheimer's-linked protein, according to the largest study of its kind.

Group forms to clarify roles of vitamins and minerals in diet

15-Sep-2014 By Hank Schultz

A new group called the Global  Nutrition & Health Alliance has formed with the mission to clarify the role of food fortification and nutritional supplementation. The issue of the role of these nutrients in the diet is still a matter of some confusion,...

DSM and Merck form high-end folate alliance

06-Aug-2014 By Shane STARLING

DSM Nutritional Products (DNP) is not abandoning its folic acid (vitamin B9) offering but has added a high-end, folate form aimed at global supplement and food makers in a deal with Merck in Switzerland.

CRN, NPA submit comments on FDA's proposed changes to food, supplement labels

05-Aug-2014 By Hank Schultz

Both the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association have submitted a comments on FDA’s proposed revisions for food and dietary supplement labels. 

Science in brief

Folic acid supplements fail to boost mood in young people

04-Aug-2014

Dietary supplements containing folic acid did not improve influence the incidence of mood disorder in young people with an increased familial risk of the condition, says a new study.

Folates not folic acid for flour fortification, urge researchers

25-Jul-2014 By Lynda Searby

New findings that the body is less efficient at metabolising folic acid than natural folates could inform policy-making decisions as the UK government considers mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

EFSA panel endorses draft dietary refs for folate, niacin and selenium

02-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

EFSA has approved Dietary Reference Values (DRV) for folate, niacin and selenium, which set population reference intakes, adequate intakes or average requirements for the European population.

CRN urges manufacturers to revisit formulas in wake of call for more iodine for pregnant women

28-May-2014 By Hank Schultz

The recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizing the vital role of iodine in the development of infants’ nervous systems is encouraging news, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition.  

Folic acid: The double-edge sword of the golden micronutrient

21-Mar-2014

Folic acid is backed to deliver important health benefits in the scientific literature and by regulators – but is over-consumption a real problem? asks Robert Verkerk, PhD, the founder, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health...

Low vitamin B12 linked to fracture risk: Study

17-Dec-2013 By Nathan Gray

A low blood level of vitamin B12 may be linked to an increased risk of fractures in older men, according to new research.

Metafolin: Merck settles ITC probe against Macoven and Viva, but no agreement with Gnosis yet

10-Oct-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

The probe filed at the US International Trade Commission (ITC) by Merck & Cie, a Swiss subsidiary of Merck KGaA, against Macoven Pharmaceuticals, LLC, and Viva Pharmaceutical, Inc. has been settled.

Folic acid deficiency may impact later generations

03-Oct-2013 By Nathan Gray

Deficiencies in folic acid dating back up to five generations could have an impact on developmental risk factors and later risk of disease, according to new research in mice.

Vitamin B shows stroke protection promise

24-Sep-2013 By Nathan Gray

Consumption of vitamin B supplements could help to reduce the risk of stroke, according to new review of existing data.

Fortification successful for ‘near-elimination’ of folic acid anemia

27-Aug-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

Mandatory fortification of select cereal grains with folic acid has led to the ‘near eradication’ of folate-deficiency anemia, says a new study.

Special edition: Battling malnutrition

Time for mandatory folic acid fortification to go truly global?

24-May-2013 By Shane Starling

Food fortification with neural tube defect (NTD)-reducing folic acid is mandatory in 75 nations, but concerns over cancer and other health issues mean Europe lags far behind  – a situation that needs to change and quickly, says DSM thinktank, sightandlife.