Abstract

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Background
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Background

Dietary supplements are an important source of folic acid, a nutrient that is vital in reducing the risk of neural tube defects. As part of the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey, data were collected on supplement use, and biomarkers were directly measured. Use of supplements that contain folic acid was reported by 25% of Canadians aged 6 to 79. Females were more likely than males to report taking folic acid supplements. People who ate fruit and vegetables less than once a day had significantly lower odds of taking folic acid-containing supplements than did those who ate fruit and vegetables at least three times a day. Of those who consumed a folic acid supplement, 91% reported also taking a supplement that contained vitamin B₁₂. Red blood cell folate concentrations below the median (less than 1,248 nmol/L), low-to-marginal serum vitamin B₁₂ concentrations (221 pmol/L or less ), and high concentrations of plasma homocysteine were negatively correlated with folic acid-containing supplement use.

Keywords

Biological markers, dietary supplements, folate, nutrition, vitamins

Authors

Cynthia K. Colapinto (colapinto@uottawa.ca) and Mark S. Tremblay are with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.  Deborah L. O'Connor is with the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.  Lise Dubois is with the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.