Gnosis by Lesaffre has drawn attention to a new commentary published in the Lancet Global Health, which has found that folate inadequacy affects more than 50% of the world's population.1
With approximately 4 billion people estimated to consume an insufficient amount of folate, there is a clear need to provide the population — particularly women and their infants — with the key nutraceutical.
According to the authors of the commentary, the results of a previously published global nutrition study further highlights the need for public health interventions in regions with high rates of folate intake inadequacy.2
The importance of folate
Folate, otherwise known as vitamin B9, is an essential nutrient for both women at a reproductive age and those who are already pregnant, as the functional ingredient plays a key role in DNA synthesis and cell division.
The vitamin has also been linked to the neurological development of the foetus, so intake should be adequate in this population especially.
With approximately 140 million women giving birth per year, there is a significant number of women across the globe who would benefit from the intake of efficacious folate supplements or enhanced dietary folate through functional foods.
Notably, women with impaired maternal and foetal homocysteine metabolism and low blood folate levels are more likely to experience dangerous complications such as pre-eclampsia, placental abruption, foetal neural tube defects and even miscarriage.
Folic acid versus active folate
Currently, the current recommendation for those looking to get pregnant is folic acid, which is the 'inactive' form of vitamin B9.
This can be problematic for some women, as many have an MTHFR polymorphism — meaning they are unable to effectively convert folic acid to its active form, 5-MTHF.
As some women aren't able to create active folate from folic acid, Gnosis by Lesaffre suggest that active folate is taken instead, as this compound doesn't need to be converted in the body.
The company's vitamin B9 nutraceutical, Quatrefolic, is comprised of active folate, and has been proven to support women's health, cardiovascular wellness and fertility in a range of clinical studies.
Research reveals the importance of folate
Novel research, which was presented at the 2024 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) B vitamins and One-Carbon Metabolism conference, called attention to the risks of folate deficiency in overweight women, which also affected their infant pre-term.
A study has revealed that those consuming adequate levels of folate during their pregnancy were less likely to experience pregnancy-associated adverse outcomes.
Researchers also found that low intake of folate or vitamin B12 early in pregnancy was linked to the reduced cognition of a child post-term –with folate being the stronger predictor.
“The high number of people – especially women – living with folate inadequacy is both surprising and somewhat disheartening, considering how many countries have implemented folate fortification programmes,” said Jean Francois Jeanne, Manager of the Gnosis Substantiation Team.
“At the same time, this substantiates the need for products containing adequate folate amounts, in its active form 5-MTHF, to ensure improved intake across all populations."
References
1 Lassale C, et al. Addressing global micronutrient inadequacies: enhancing global data representation. Lancet
Glob Health. 2024 Oct;12(10):e1561-e1562.
2 Passarelli S, et al. Global estimation of dietary micronutrient inadequacies: a modelling analysis. Lancet Glob
Health. 2024 Oct; 12(10:e1590-e1599.
3 https://conferences-on-demand.faseb.org/do/10.1096/BVOM2024.S03.P02/full/