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Malaria in the Era of Food Fortification With Folic Acid
- Source :
- Food and nutrition bulletin. 37(2)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Food fortified with folic acid has been available for consumption in North America for over a decade. This strategy has led to an increase in folate levels in the general population and, more importantly, a significant decrease in the incidence of neural tube defects. However, this increase in folate intake has been associated with a greater risk of cancer disease. Many African countries are now embracing this concept; however, because folate promotes malaria parasite division, as it does in cancer cells, there is a possibility of malaria exacerbation if folate intake is increased. A precedent for such a concern is the now compelling evidence showing that an increase in iron intake can lead to a higher malaria risk; as a result, mass administration of iron in malaria-endemic areas is not recommended. In this article, we review work on the effect of folate on malaria parasites. Although this topic has received little research attention, the available data suggest that the increase in folate concentration could be associated with an increase in malaria infection. Thus, the introduction of food fortification with folic acid in malaria-endemic areas should be attended by precautionary programs to monitor the risk of malaria.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Exacerbation
Geography, Planning and Development
Population
Disease
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Folic Acid
Environmental health
parasitic diseases
medicine
Animals
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
education
education.field_of_study
Nutrition and Dietetics
biology
business.industry
Incidence (epidemiology)
Food fortification
Plasmodium falciparum
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Biotechnology
Malaria
030104 developmental biology
Folic acid
Africa
Dietary Supplements
Food, Fortified
business
Food Science
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15648265
- Volume :
- 37
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Food and nutrition bulletin
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fceb19545a08f0323f64c223258c83de