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National Council on Folic Acid News
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Dec 17, 2009
January 2010 Media Alert
The following articles are being published in the January 2010 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), a publication of the American Society for Nutrition. Full summaries and analysis are available on the ASN website. Links to the articles are below. Articles published in AJCN are embargoed until the article appears online either as in press (Articles in Press) or as a final version. The embargoes for the following articles have expired.
The folate studies should be of great interest to the general public for several reasons, according to ASN Spokesperson Shelley McGuire, PhD. “First, the data suggest that the folic acid levels that the US Food and Drug Administration decided should be added to enriched foods was probably right on target, a good use of public tax dollars to improve public health. Second, these researchers made excellent use of the NHANES information, again, evidence that this federally-funded program designed to monitor the nation’s nutrition over time is well worth its modest price tag. Third, there are still some pockets of the population (like non-Hispanic blacks) who need to pay attention to their folate intakes. This population might benefit from intense nutrition education targeting. This is exactly the kind of information we need to promote optimal health across our diverse population.”
Body Fat Distribution Differs between White and African Americans
Large clinical trial provides convincing evidence that African Americans have lower amounts of visceral body fat than do whites, despite having higher risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Katzmarzyk PT, Bray GA, Greenway FL, et al. Racial differences in abdominal depot–specific adiposity in white and African American adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:7–15.
Demerath EW. Causes and consequences of human variation in visceral adiposity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:1–2.
National Folic Acid Fortification—Did It Hit the Target?
Newly published data provide evidence that decade-old folic acid enrichment levels have accomplished their goal without increasing risk of overconsumption.
Yang Q, Cogswell ME, Hamner HC, et al. Folic acid source, usual intake, and folate and vitamin B-12 status in US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:64–72.
Bailey RL, Dodd KW, Gahche JJ, et al. Total folate and folic acid intake from foods and dietary supplements in the United States: 2003–2006. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:231–7.
Hazra A, Selhub J, Chao W-H, Ueland PM, Hunter DJ, Baron JA. Uracil misincorporation into DNA and folic acid supplementation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:160–5.
Rosenberg I. Getting folic acid nutrition right. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:3–4.
Genetic Study Helps Scientists Understand Complex Architecture of Obesity
State-of-the-art science identifies independent and combined effects of “obesity genes” on risk of being obese; genetic contribution smaller than anticipated.
Li S, Zhao JH, Luan J, et al. Cumulative effects and predictive value of common obesity-susceptibility variants identified by genome-wide association studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:184–90.
Bouchard C. Defining the genetic architecture of the predisposition to obesity: a challenging but not insurmountable task. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:5–6.
Diet, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation—Dairy and Whole Grains Win Out Once Again
Independent studies provide additional evidence that consumption of dairy foods or whole-grain barley can decrease chronic inflammation.
Zemel MB, Sun X, Sobhani T, Wilson B. Effects of dairy compared with soy on oxidative and inflammatory stress in overweight and obese subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:16–22.
Priebe MG, Wang H, Weening D, Schepers M, Preston T, Vonk RJ. Factors related to colonic fermentation of nondigestible carbohydrates of a previous evening meal increase tissue glucose uptake and moderate glucose-associated inflammation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:90–7.
Alekel DL, Van Loan MD, Koehler KJ, et al. The Soy Isoflavones for Reducing Bone Loss (SIRBL) Study: a 3-y randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;91:218–30.