The objective of this study was to relate behaviour change mechanisms to nutritionally relevant behaviour and demonstrate how the different mechanisms can affect attempts to change these behaviours. Folate was used as an example to illuminate the possibilities and challenges in inducing behaviour change. The behaviours affecting folate intake were recognised and categorised. Behaviour change me...

Malnutrition is one of the world's largest health concerns. Folate (also known as vitamin B₉) is essential in the human diet, and without adequate folate intake, several serious health concerns, such as congenital birth defects and an increased risk of stroke and heart disease, can occur. Most people's folate intake remains sub-optimal, even in countries that have a folic acid food fortificatio...

Since the establishment of the 1998 folate recommended dietary allowance (RDA), the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C-->T variant has emerged as a strong modifier of folate status. This controlled feeding study investigated the adequacy of the RDA, 400 microg/d as dietary folate equivalents (DFE), for Mexican American men with the MTHFR 677CC or TT genotype. Because of the interd...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of dietary folate intake on the relation between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS 17,447 Anglo-Australian women resident in Melbourne, aged 40-69 years at recruitment in 1990-4, and followed up until 31 December 2003. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Invasive breast cancers diagno...

An increased folate intake may be beneficial in deficient populations. However, in women with adequate levels it may not deliver additional benefits while it may increase the risk for some forms of cancer. A systematic literature review of benefits or risks of folate in the development of breast cancer was performed using MEDLINE, systematic review of selected articles and references of the sel...

BACKGROUND Nutritional biomarkers may be used to assess dietary exposure without the errors commonly associated with self-reported dietary data. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the association between plasma folate and intake of folate, fruit, and vegetables in a large cohort of healthy adults consuming foods that had not been fortified with folic acid. DESIGN The present study popul...

OBJECTIVE To assess intake of folate/folic acid and food sources in Japanese female dietitians. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We evaluated folate consumption based on four season 7 consecutive day weighed diet records (WDRs) provided by 80 Japanese female dietitians and compared the results with data from a national survey. We then selected informative foods for folate intake on the basis of 2,240 WDR...

BACKGROUND In the United States, folic acid fortification of cereal- grain foods has significantly increased folate status. However, blood folate concentrations have decreased from their postfortification high as a result, in part, of decreasing food fortification concentrations and the popularity of low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to quantify c...

It is only recently that folate deficiency has been implicated in the development of cancer. The mechanisms by which folate might protect against cancer are not clear but may relate to its role in DNA methylation and DNA synthesis. All case-control, cohort and intervention trials reported in English, French, or German, on folate intake or blood levels in relation to the risk of colorectal, brea...

Dietary polyphenols are suggested to elevate plasma total homocysteine concentration (tHcy). Although tea is rich in polyphenols, it has been associated with lower tHcy, which may be due to its folate content. Our aims were to investigate relationships of tea intake and 4-O-methylgallic acid (4OMGA)--a biomarker of exposure to tea-derived polyphenols--with tHcy in older women. In a cross-sectio...