Folic Acid Supplementation and Riboflavin Status

[摘要] Flour in the US is fortified with folic acid and riboflavin. Folic acid reduces mean plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration (1). Riboflavin has been associated with reduced tHcy in homozygotes for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ) C677T polymorphism (2).In a study that investigated the effect of riboflavin status on the tHcy-lowering response of folate interventions, Moat el al. (3) reported that riboflavin status is compromised after folic acid supplementation. Subjects were assigned to three interventions (each lasting 4 months) using a crossover design: ( a ) usual diet but avoiding folic acid-fortified foods, plus a daily placebo tablet; ( b ) usual diet plus additional folic-acid-fortified and folate-rich foods to achieve at least 400 μg of folic acid/day; ( c ) usual diet but avoiding folic-acid-fortified foods, plus a folic acid supplement of 400 μg/day.Moat el al. (3) reported that suboptimal riboflavin status [erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRAC) ≥1.4] increased from 52% at baseline to 62% after intervention 3. The authors suggested that this was attributable to supplementation with folic acid and proposed two possible mechanisms in which circulating flavins would be reduced as a consequence of the effect of enhanced folate status on MTHFR activity. However, their data show … [↵][1]bAddress correspondence to this author at: Wales Heart Research Institute, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, United Kingdom. Fax 44-29-2074-3500; e-mail: moatsj{at}cardiff.ac.uk. [1]: #xref-corresp-2-1

[学科分类] 过敏症与临床免疫学