Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35807899›Full record

SynthesisNutrients2022

Women Taking a Folic Acid Supplement in Countries with Mandatory Food Fortification Programs May Be Exceeding the Upper Tolerable Limit of Folic Acid: A Systematic Review.

Carolyn Ledowsky, Abela Mahimbo, Vanessa Scarf, Amie Steel

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nutrients, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Folic acid prevention of neural tube defects requires retinoic acid produced by ALDH1L1.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Carolyn LedowskySchool of Public Health, University of Technology, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1634-0328
Abela MahimboSchool of Public Health, University of Technology, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
Vanessa ScarfSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Technology, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
Amie SteelSchool of Public Health, University of Technology, P.O. Box 123, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6643-9444
University of Technology Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn preconception and pregnancy, women are encouraged to take folic acid-based supplements over and above food intake. The upper tolerable limit of folic acid is 1000 mcg per day; however, this level was determined to avoid masking a vitamin B12 deficiency and not based on folic acid bioavailability and metabolism. This review's aim is to assess the total all-source intake of folate in women of childbearing age and in pregnancy in high-income countries with folate food fortification programs.

methodsA systematic search was conducted in five databases to find studies published since 1998 that reported folate and folic acid intake in countries with a mandatory fortification policy.

resultsWomen of childbearing age do not receive sufficient folate intake from food sources alone even when consuming fortified food products; however, almost all women taking a folic acid-based supplement exceed the upper tolerable limit of folic acid intake.

conclusionsFolic acid supplement recommendations and the upper tolerable limit of 1000 mcg set by policy makers warrant careful review in light of potential adverse effects of exceeding the upper tolerable limit on folic acid absorption and metabolism, and subsequent impacts on women's health during their childbearing years.

Indexed as

Folic Acid DeficiencyNeural Tube DefectsDietary SupplementsFemaleFolic AcidFood, FortifiedHumansPregnancyWomen's HealthFolic Acid5-methyltetrahydrofolatefolatefolic acidfortificationpreconceptionpregnancyunmetabolized folic acid

Identifiers

PMID35807899
PMCPMC9268323
OpenAlexW4283731755

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.