Recommended Dietary Intake, folates

Folate deficiency The recommended dietary intake of folate has been increased (also protects against neural tube defects in the fetus), and additional folate is now added to flour (bread, pasta, and other products made liom flour)... 

Herbert V (1987a) Recommended dietary intakes (RDI) of folate in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45, 661-70. 

The amount of foHc acid required for daily intake is estimated based on the minimum amount required to maintain a certain level of semm folate. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for foHc acid accounts for daily losses and makes allowances for variation in individual needs and bioavailabiHty from food sources (85). The U.S. recommended daily allowance for adults is 400 )Ug and for pregnant women is 800 X (Table 4). 

Tree nuts can be good dietary sources (>10% of recommended dietary allowances [RDA] or adequate intake [Al]) of most vitamins except vitamins A and cobalamin (B,2). At suggested consumption level (1.5 ounces or 42.5g/day), acorn and pine nuts are excellent sources of folate and vitamin K (Table 2.7). In case of thiamin (Bj), niacin (B3), and pyridoxine (Bg), tree nuts offer alternative sources of these vitamins when more abundant animal sources are not available or are not consumed. 

National Research Council, Food and Nutrition Board, and Institute of Medicine (1998) Dietary reference intakes for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, pantothenic add, biotin, and choline. In Recommended Dietary Allowances., pp. 374-389. Washington, DC. National Academy Press. 

The folate requirement is the minimum amount necessary to prevent deficiency. Dietary recommendations for populations, however, must allow a margin of safety to cover the needs of the vast majority of the population. As is the case with most nutrients, the margin of safety for folate requirement corresponds to two standard deviations above the mean requirement for a population and should therefore meet the needs of 97.5% of the population. Thus, international dietary recommendations contain allowances for individual variability, the bioavailability of folate from different foodstuffs, and periods of low intake and increased use. Current international folate recommendations for FAO/ WHO, USA/Canada, and the European Union are listed in Table 2. 

Based on folate concentrations in liver biopsy samples, and assuming that the liver contains about half of ail body stores, total body stores of folate are estimated to be between 12 and 28 Kinetic studies that show both fast-turnover and very-slow-turnover folate pools indicate that about 0.5% to 1% of body stores are catabolized or excreted daily,suggesting a minimum daily requirement of between 60 and 280)Llg to replace losses. In calculating nutritional requirement, the concept of dietary folate equivalents (DFE) has been used to adjust for the nearly 50% lower bioavailabihty of food folate compared with supplemental folic acid, such that 1 p.g DFE = 0.6 Llg of folic acid from fortified food = 1 j,g of food folate 0.5 p.g foUc acid supplement taken on an empty stomach. Before the fortification program of cereal grains with folic acid conducted between 1988 and 1994, the median intake of folate from food in the United States was approximately 250p.g/day this figure is expected to increase by about 100 Llg/day after fortification. Recommendations... 

The mechanisms by which vitamins prevent illnesses are not weU understood, and the amounts needed to lower risks for certain disease conditions may be higher than the current recommended levels for preventing nutritional deficiencies. For example, the Institute of Medicine recommends that to prevent neural tube birth defects, women of child-bearing age should consume 400 Xg of folic acid per day (but not more than 1000 Xg/day) from fortified foods and/or dietary supplements in addition to folates obtained from a varied diet. " < Ascorbic acid intakes of 80-200mg daily (8-20 times the amounts needed to prevent scurvy) may be necessary to enhance certain physiological functions and minimize specific disease risks. " ... 

Sources Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Huoride (1997) Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin 85, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline (1998) EHetary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids (2000) Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc (2001) Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate (2005) and EHetary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D (2011). These reports may be accessed via www.nap.edu A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population. Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements. Due to a lack of suitable data, ULs could not be established for vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and carotenoids. In the absence of a UL, extra caution may be warranted in consuming levels above recommended intakes. Members of the general population should be advised not to routinely exceed the UL. The UL is not meant to ply to individuals who are treated with the nutrient under medical supervision or to individuals with predisposing conditions that modify their sensitivity to the nutrient... 

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