SynthesisAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences2018
Global folate status in women of reproductive age: a systematic review with emphasis on methodological issues.
Synthesis in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Does previous pregnancy experience improve folic acid supplementation uptake? A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Best Evidence Summary of Folic Acid Supplementation for Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in Women of Childbearing Age.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Folate and global health umbrella review series, part 1: methodological framework and syntheses on anaemia and neural tube defects.Journal of global health · 2026Pooled it
- Global folate deficiency among adolescent girls: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Maternal folic acid supplementation and the risk of ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) in infants; a systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Folate deficiency among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Maternal Dietary Factors and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of Existing Evidence.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2020Pooled it
- Population RBC folate concentrations can be accurately estimated from measured whole blood folate, measured hemoglobin, and predicted serum folate-cross-sectional data from the NHANES 1988-2010.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2020Trial
- RNA methylation and the potential role of folate supplementation in preventing Hirschsprung disease.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Associations between Red Blood Cell Folate Forms and Demographic, Physiologic, and Lifestyle Factors in the United States Population: Cross-Sectional Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey August 2021-August 2023.Current developments in nutrition · 2026Article
- Leveraging Salt Fortification Platforms to Address Multiple-Micronutrient Deficiencies in Africa: A Policy Opportunity.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2026Article
- Article
- Folate and global health review series, part 3: syntheses on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic diseases.Journal of global health · 2026Review
- Dietary Vitamin B-9 and B-12 Deficiencies Alter Gut Homeostasis in Sprague-Dawley Rats.The Journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Role of one-carbon metabolism variants in the associations between perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and birth size in the Taiwan Birth Panel Study.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2026Article
- Maternal intake of inadequate dietary folate, and low serum folate levels during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of preterm birth in rural Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Review
- Association between serum folate and T cell subsets in a population-based study.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Trends and Analytical Consistency of Folate and Vitamin BBiomedicines · 2026Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Inadequate folate status in women of reproductive age (WRA) can lead to adverse health consequences of public health significance, such as megaloblastic anemia (folate deficiency) and an increased risk of neural tube defect (NTD)-affected pregnancies (folate insufficiency). Our review aims to evaluate current data on folate status of WRA. We queried eight databases and the World Health Organization Micronutrients Database, identifying 45 relevant surveys conducted between 2000 and 2014 in 39 countries. Several types of folate assays were used in the analysis of blood folate, and many surveys used folate cutoffs not matched to the assay. To allow better comparisons across surveys, we attempted to account for these differences. The prevalence of folate deficiency was >20% in many countries with lower income economies but was typically <5% in countries with higher income economies. Only 11 surveys reported the prevalence of folate insufficiency, which was >40% in most countries. Overall, folate status data for WRA globally are limited and must be carefully interpreted due to methodological issues. Future surveys would benefit from using the microbiologic assay to assess folate status, along with assay-matched cutoffs to improve monitoring and evaluation of folic acid interventions, thus informing global efforts to prevent NTDs.
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Registered trials
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