Folic acid is the term most commonly used to refer to a family of vitamers with related biological activity. They are a family of compounds that are found in sources such as beans, livers and dark green leafy vegetables. Other terms such as folate, folates and folacin can generally be used interchangeably. Required for the formation of nucleic acids, the building blocks of genes, the maturation of red blood cells and promotion of growth, folic deficiency causes a series of biological problems. Problems associated with low folate status or aberrations in its normal metabolism include the development of anemias, dermatologic lesions and poor growth.
Folate requirements are particularly high during pregnancy and for the elderly.
Poor folate status during pregnancy is associated with an increased rate of birth defects, and deficiencies of folate in the elderly are associated with elevated plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease that appears to be as important as cholesterol. However, although folic acid is central to optimal health and disease prevention, how an individual processes the folate consumed from a diet is poorly defined. Knowledge of folic acid absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion are largely inadequately understood. Stephen Dueker, Yumei Lin and Andrew Clifford from the department of nutrition, in association with Dr. John Vogel and colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, are conducting a multi-year study that will characterize the processing of folate in human volunteers. The study seeks to understand the dynamics and kinetic behavior of folate metabolism in humans.