Grant: Operating Grant

Folate, a B vitamin is generally regarded as safe and has long been presumed to be purely beneficial, and is in fact promoted as the ultimate functional food component for disease prevention. In Canada, an overwhelming body of evidence for a protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplementation on neural tube defects led to mandatory folic acid fortification in 1998. Also, up to 40 % of the Canadian population are taking folic acid supplementation for several possible but as yet unproven health benefits. As a result, the intake and blood levels of folate and folic acid in Canada have dramatically increased over the past decade. In addition, it is recommended that all women planning a pregnancy or capable of becoming pregnant take 0.4 mg folic acid supplementation per day before and during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects. Although folic acid fortification and supplementation have significantly improved folate status and reduced neural tube defects rates in Canada, the possibility remains that the vast majority of the Canadian population, who are not at risk of neural defects but have been unintentionally exposed to high amounts of folic acid, may benefit less and may even experience unexpected, potentially serious adverse effects from an increase in folic acid intake. We posit that the developing fetus and the aging population might be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of high levels of folic acid. An emerging body of evidence has recently warned of potentially serious adverse effects from an increase in folic acid intake. We propose to conduct animal and mechanistic studies to elucidate potential adverse effects of folic acid supplementation and unravel epigenetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these processes in the susceptible periods of the life cycle.