We conclude that both serum and erythrocyte folate values reflect folate intake ; however , serum folate reacts more rapidly to folate intake than erythrocyte folate .
As to health outcomes , we found no evidence indicating that additional intake of folate can influence haematological parameters in non-anaemic paediatric patients .
We were unable to find evidence of a favourable effect of folate supplementation on the growth of infants .
However , the limited data available suggest that supplementing the diet of low-birth-weight infants with folic acid may moderate the rapid fall of serum and red cell folate in the first months of life
The aim of this systematic review was to collect all available r and omized controlled trials on the effect of folate supplementation on folate status and health outcomes within the paediatric age group .
Efficacy of different strategies to treat anemia in children: a randomized clinical trial
Background Anemia continues to be a major public health problem among children in many regions of the world , and it is still not clear which strategy to treat it is most effective . Objective To evaluate the efficacy and children 's acceptance of several recognized strategies to treat anemia . Methods Non-breastfed children ( n = 577 ) , 6 to 43 mo of age , were screened for the trial ; 267 were anemic ( hemoglobin < 11.7 g/dL ) , and 266 of those were r and omized into 1 of 5 treatments to received daily either : an iron supplement ( IS ) , an iron+folic acid supplement ( IFS ) , a multiple micronutrient supplement ( MMS ) , a micronutrient-fortified complementary food as porridge powder ( FCF ) , or zinc+iron+ascorbic acid fortified water ( FW ) . The iron content of each daily dose was 20 , 12.5 , 10 , 10 and 6.7 mg respectively . Hemoglobin ( Hb ) , ferritin , total iron , weight and height were measured at baseline and after 4 months of treatment . Morbidity , treatment acceptability and adherence were recorded during the intervention . Results All treatments significantly increased Hb and total iron concentration ; ferritin did not change significantly . Groups MMS , IS and IFS  increased Hb ( g/dL ) [ 1.50 ( 95%CI : 1.17 , 1.83 ) , 1.48 [ ( 1.18 , 1.78 ) and 1.57 ( 1.26 , 1.88 ) , respectively ] and total iron ( ( μg/dL ) [ 0.15 ( 0.01 , 0.29 ) , 0.19 ( 0.06 , 0.31 ) and 0.12(-0.01 , 0.25 ) , respectively ] significantly more than FCF [ 0.92 ( 0.64 , 1.20 ) ] but not to FW group [ 0.14 ( 0.04 , 0.24 ) ] . The prevalence of anemia was reduced to a greater extent in the MMS and IFS groups ( 72 % and 69 % , respectively ) than in the FCF group ( 45 % ) ( p < 0.05 ) . There were no significant differences in anthropometry or in the number of episodes of diarrhea and respiratory infections among treatment groups . The supplements MMS and IS were less acceptable to children , than IFS , FCF and FW . Conclusion The three supplements IS , ISF and MMS  increased Hb more than the FCF ; the supplements that contained micronutrients ( IFS and MMS ) were more effective for reducing the prevalence of anemia . In general , fortified foods were better accepted by the study participants than supplements . Clinical Trial.gov
We conclude that both serum and erythrocyte folate values reflect folate intake ; however , serum folate reacts more rapidly to folate intake than erythrocyte folate .
As to health outcomes , we found no evidence indicating that additional intake of folate can influence haematological parameters in non-anaemic paediatric patients .
We were unable to find evidence of a favourable effect of folate supplementation on the growth of infants .
However , the limited data available suggest that supplementing the diet of low-birth-weight infants with folic acid may moderate the rapid fall of serum and red cell folate in the first months of life
The aim of this systematic review was to collect all available r and omized controlled trials on the effect of folate supplementation on folate status and health outcomes within the paediatric age group .