DESCRIPTION In 1996, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that all women planning or capable of pregnancy take a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects. This recommendation is an update of the 1996 USPSTF recommendation. METHODS The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on folic acid supplementation in women of childbearing age p...

We tested the effect of a fermented papaya preparation (FPP; ORI, Gifu, Japan) on redox balance gene expression in 11 healthy nonsmoker, teetotaller individuals subjected to a detailed dietary and lifestyle questionnaire who refrained from any multivitamin supplement or fortified food. Redox status was assessed by erythrocyte and plasma parameters together with related leukocyte mRNA (glutathio...

BACKGROUND Although adequate folic acid or multivitamins can prevent up to 70 % of neural tube defects, the majority of U.S. non-pregnant women of childbearing age do not use multivitamins every day. Factors influencing consistent multivitamin use are not fully explored. This study aims to investigate the association between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and multivitamin use before pregna...

BACKGROUND Copper and selenium are important trace elements in man. They function as antioxidants and play roles in oxido-reductase reactions. Several imported multivitamin preparations are given to our women during pregnancy and lactation to correct possible deficiencies. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is to determine the serum level of these micronutrients (selenium and copper) in a cross s...

The group descriptor "multivitamin" doesn't guarantee that all vitamins are included in the product or that they are present in proportion to nutritional requirements. In fact the great majority of multivitamin preparations do not contain all the 13 established vitamins. We have reviewed the stated composition of all vitamin products registered with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administrati...

Folate receptor A (FRA) expression in epithelial ovarian cancer may be related to folate intake. We examined this association using multivitamin intake, a proxy for folic acid, and assessed whether the relation was modified by alcohol intake, a folate agonist. Cases (n = 148) with suspected epithelial ovarian cancer, of agesz20 years, were seen at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, between 2000 and 2004; ...

AIMS To evaluate the effects of zinc with or without other antioxidants on blood glucose, lipid profile, and serum creatinine in adult diabetics on long-term follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients (n = 96) were randomly allocated to three groups: group A (n = 29) was supplemented with oral zinc sulfate (22 mg/day) and multivitamin/mineral (zinc+MVM) preparation; group B (n = 31) was given ...