Folate status in Italian blood donors: relation to gender and smoking

Background and Objectives. Folate deficiency in the general population is a ssociated with a risk of cardiovascular disease and various cancers. The ai m of this study was to evaluate folate status in Italian blood donors and i ts relationship with gender and smoking habit. Design and Methods. A prospective study of 201 first visit donors (99 males and 102 females) was undertaken to evaluate folate status by measuring ser um folate (SF) and red blood cell folate (RCF) levels and relating these wi th gender and smoking habit (100 smokers and 101 non-smokers). Results. The rates of SF level less than 6.8 nmol/L and RCF less than 340 n mol/L were 9.9% and 25.3%, respectively in Italian blood donors. Mean RCF l evel was significantly lower(p<0.05) in females than in males and in smoker s compared to in nonsmokers (p<0.001). The risk of reduced RCF levels in sm okers was related to the number of cigarettes smoked per day, more than nin e cigarettes increased the relative risk (RR) of low RCF level to 2.93 (95% C.I.: 1.34-6.41). Interpretation and Conclusions. This study suggests that folate deficiency, evaluated by RCF and SF levels, is widespread in Italian blood donors. Mor eover, RCF values seem related to gender in non-smokers and modified by smo king habit, according to the number of cigarettes smoked per day. (C) 2000, Ferrata Storti Foundation.