ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DIETARY FIBER INTAKE AND THE FOLATE STATUS OF A GROUP OF FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

The main objective of this study was to assess the association between dietary fiber intake and the folate status of Canadian female adolesc ents. We also assessed dietary folate intakes and evaluated the preval ence of biochemical folate deficiency in these subjects. Female adoles cents aged 14-19 y (n = 224) were recruited and fasting blood samples were collected. Dietary intakes (3-d food record) were recorded and pa rticipants were classified as lactoovovegetarians, semivegetarians, or omnivores on the basis of food-consumption patterns assessed with foo d-frequency questionnaires. Fourteen percent, 17%, and 26% of lactoovo vegetarians, semivegetarians, and omnivores, respectively, had dietary folate intakes below their predicted requirements; 1%, 4%, and 23%, r espectively, had serum folate concentrations indicative of deficiency. Despite low dietary folate intakes and serum folate concentrations, f ew subjects had homocysteine concentrations indicative of deficiency, suggesting that the degree of folate depletion had not yet produced fu nctional consequences. Most important, results suggest that the consum ption of nonstarch polysaccharide is significantly associated with ser um folate concentrations (P < 0.001). For each 1-g increase in nonstar ch polysaccharide intake, a 1.8% increase in serum folate concentratio n is expected. In summary, we propose that an increase in nonstarch po lysaccharide intake may promote the intestinal biosynthesis of folate, providing a complementary strategy to enhance the folate nutriture of humans.