Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2004 Jan 24;328(7433):211-4.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7433.211.

Is folic acid the ultimate functional food component for disease prevention?

Mark Lucock  1
Affiliations
Review

Is folic acid the ultimate functional food component for disease prevention?

Mark Lucock. BMJ. .

Abstract

We are entering a new era in preventive medicine, which focuses on diet as a means to health. Folate has received much attention as a vitamin that can protect against many diseases, but do we know enough about the long term effects of supplementation?

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Molecular mechanisms affected by dietary folate
Fig 2
Fig 2
Number of publications on folate and specific diseases (top); publications on folate and specific diseases as a percentage of all publications on folate (bottom)
Fig 3
Fig 3
Interest in folate-homocysteine inter-relations relative to interest in vitamin C
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Lewis CJ, Crane NT, Wilson DB, Yatley EA. Estimated folate intake: data updated to reflect food fortification, increased bioavailability, and dietary supplement use. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70: 198-207. - PubMed
    1. Food standards: amendment of standards of identity for enriched grain products to require addition of folic acid: final rule. Fed Regist 1996;61: 8781-97.
    1. Lucock MD, Yates Z. A differential role for folate in developmental disorders, vascular disease and other clinical conditions: the importance of folate status and genotype. In: Massaro EJ, ed. Folate and human development. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2001: 263-98.
    1. Friso S, Choi SW. Gene-nutrient interactions and DNA methylation. J Nutr 2002;132: 2382-7S. - PubMed
    1. Lucock M. Folic acid: nutritional biochemistry, molecular biology and role in disease processes. Mol Genet Metab 2000;71: 121-38. - PubMed