09 April 2014
A new Australian study reports that pregnant women who take a supplement with folic acid may be at risk of reducing the folate effect through sun exposure.
The observational study measured changes of blood folate concentrations in 45 young healthy women (aged 18 to 47) who had taken 500 mcg of folic acid daily for two weeks followed by one week of different degrees of sun exposure (1). The study results showed that participants with high rates of sun exposure (between 10am and 3pm, with little sun protection) accounted up to a 20% reduction in folate levels.
The researchers concluded that increasing solar UV radiation exposures reduces the effectiveness of folic acid supplementation, especially in women prior to and during pregnancy. Folate has been found to reduce miscarriage and neural tube defects such as spina bifida in unborn babies (2). Previous in vitro research has shown that folic acid is degraded by both UVA and UVB radiation (3).
21 October 2013
According to a new study from France a diet rich in carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin during midlife may contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function in one’s old age.
9 July 2013
A supplementation with vitamin D may support gaining muscle power and decreasing waist-to-hip ratio of overweight and obese people who perform resistance training, suggests a new US study.
4 August 2010
Stroke patients who take vitamin B supplements to lower their homocysteine levels may not be protected from second strokes or heart attacks, a new Australian study suggests.
