Folic Acid vs Folate

Folate is a B9-vitamin that plays numerous essential roles in the human body. Folate metabolism is involved in DNA replication, production of neurotransmitters, and plays an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. We are now discovering that perhaps equally as important as the amount of folate you get in your diet is the source and form of folate you are choosing. In whole foods, such as dark leafy greens, beans, and lentils, this vitamin primarily exists in its natural folate form. In fortified or processed foods however, it is often found as folic acid. Research is now uncovering that high-doses of synthetic folic acid may actually be harmful and increase your risk of certain chronic diseases.

So where is all this synthetic folic acid coming from? The high dose of synthetic, folic acid now seen in our food supply is actually a direct result of the action of the US government. The 20th century brought the massive introduction of processed and refined grain products (white flour) to the American food supply. These new refined grain products were stripped of their natural vitamins and soon deficiencies, including folate-deficiency, became more common.  Folate deficiency during pregnancy can result in neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida. In efforts to prevent these devastating birth defects, the US office of Public Health Services recommended that all women of child-bearing age consume at least 400 mcg of folate per day. In addition, the FDA passed legislation in 1998 that required all refined grain products to be fortified with folic acid. Since the mandate, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that the resulting decrease in neural tube defect births was nearly 26% [1]. Unfortunately due to the massive consumption of refined grains in the US as well as the overuse of folic acid by food manufacturers, many Americans are getting considerably more than the RDA for folate from their food intake. Combine that with the fact that foods fortified with folic acid provide nearly 1.7 times the folic acid activity as natural folate (supplements with folic acid provide nearly double the activity), and it is clear that Americans are consuming higher bioactive levels of folate than ever before [2].

So what’s the concern with too much folic acid? Folate in its natural form supports healthy cell replication and is seen as beneficial in the prevention of cancer. Folic acid however, with its artificial, high bioactivity in the body, may actually encourage the growth of unhealthy cells. A 2009 study published in  The Journal of the American Medical Association found that high dose supplementation with folic acid among patients with heart disease found a significant increase in cancer, particularly lung cancer [3]. There also appears to be a connection between high-dose folic acid supplementation and prostate cancer risk in men. [4] In addition, since the introduction of fortification with folic acid, an increase in colorectal cancer has been observed in the US and other countries with similar guidelines. Many researchers believe there could be a connection [5].

While most nutrition software programs only analyze total vitamin intake, Woojabooty allows its users to determine which form of folate their diet is providing. By differentiating whole food sources of folate from processed and fortified foods, Woojabooty helps you to meet your daily folate needs and avoid dangerously high levels of folic acid. By emphasizing health and food quality, Woojabooty provides users with an exceptional level of insight into overall wellness while they achieve their weight-management goals.

by Clair Dainard

REFERENCES

1. Spina bifida and anencephaly before and after folic acid mandate--United States, 1995-1996 and 1999-2000. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004;53(17):362-365.

2. Bailey LB. Dietary reference intakes for folate: the debut of dietary folate equivalents. Nutr Rev. 1998;56(10):294-299.

3. Ebbing, M. et al. Cancer Incidence and Mortality After Treatment With Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 JAMA. 2009;302(19):2119-2126. Doi

4. Figueiredo, JC; et al"Folic Acid and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Results From a Randomized Clinical Trial".Journal of the National Cancer Institute, (2009). 101 (6): 432–5.

5. Hirsch S, et al.Colon cancer in Chile before and after the start of the flour fortification program with folic acid. Eur J Gastronererol Hepatol 2009 Apr;21(4):436-9. 

Why 2% Milk is Really 35% Fat

 How much fat is there in 2% milk? The seemingly obvious answer is 2% right?

It’s not. It’s actually 35% fat as you can see from the Woojabooty Food Log snippet (pictured below) of 8 ounces of 2% milk.

How is that possible? Is it false advertising? False, no. Deceptive, perhaps.

Milk is made up of mostly water, which has no fat of calories.  Take out the water and the milk itself has a whopping 35% fat calories.

The 2% figure comes from calculating fat as a percentage of total weight. Since much of the weight comes from water, the 2% figure is correct if you’re looking at milk fat by weight.

Here’s another way to look at it. Let’s say you put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a glass. Obviously, oil is 100% fat. Now add water to that glass. By adding water, you will increase the weight of the overall “food” but the percentage of fat in relation to the total weight goes down as you add more water. Still, the actual fat calories remain the same.

Fat is an important part of a balanced diet. The American Heart Association suggests that we consume 56 to 78 grams of fat each day (or 25 to 35% of your total calories). Go for “good fats” like nuts and avocado and limit your saturated fat intake to less than 16 grams and trans fats to less than two grams per day.

by Ruth Stoffel