FOLATE
Folate is a B group vitamin that is essential for healthy growth and development. Folate is particularly important in helping prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, including spina bifida. Folic acid is the form of folate used in supplements and for food fortification as it is more stable than the naturally-occurring forms in foods.1 Given the critical importance of folate in early growth and development, it is recommended that all women of childbearing age, even if they are not planning on becoming pregnant, take extra folic acid.2 Mandatory fortification of bread-making flour with folic acid was also introduced in Australia in 2009 to help reduce the incidence of NTDs. Folate is also found naturally in foods such as green leafy vegetables, fruits and grains. Folate equivalents are used to measure folate intakes to account for the differing bioavailability of natural folate and folic acid.
The average daily amount of folate equivalents consumed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from foods was 672 µg for males and 565 µg for females. Males and females in all age groups had average intakes that exceeded the Estimated Average Requirement.
Cereals and cereal products and Cereal based products and dishes contributed 52% and 10% respectively of folate equivalents, followed by Non-alcoholic beverages (7.6%, mainly from fruit juice and tea), Miscellaneous (6.9%, from yeast, vegetable or meat extracts) and Milk products and dishes (5.4%) (see Table 10.43).
Folate equivalents, Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and mean daily intake, by age
|
| Age (years) | EAR (µg)(a) | Mean intake (µg)(b) |
|
 | Males | Females | Males | Females |
| 2-3 | 120 | 120 | 610 | 565 |
| 4-8 | 160 | 160 | 673 | 646 |
| 9-13 | 250 | 250 | 700 | 696 |
| 14-18 | 330 | 330 | 759 | 555 |
| 19-30 | 320 | 320 | 680 | 520 |
| 31-50 | 320 | 320 | 681 | 503 |
| 51 and over | 320 | 320 | 559 | 570 |
|
Source:
(a) National Health and Medical Research Council 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council, <http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/folate>
(b) Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Nutrition Results - Food and Nutrients, 2012-13
|
Was there a difference by remoteness?
The amount of folate equivalents consumed by males (695 µg) and females (572 µg) in non-remote areas was higher than in remote areas (males 588 µg, females 538 µg) (see
Table 1.1).
How did this compare with non-Indigenous people?
The average daily intake of folate equivalents was similar for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people (618 µg and 614 µg respectively).
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey (NATSIHMS) included tests for Serum folate, which is a measure of the amount of folate circulating around the body. For more information on Serum folate levels for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people see
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Biomedical Results, 2012-13 (
Table 12.1).
ENDNOTES
1. National Health and Medical Research Council 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council <http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/folate>, Last accessed 20/02/2015.
2. Food Standards Australia New Zealand 2012, Folic acid fortification, <http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/nutrition/folicmandatory/pages/default.aspx>, Last accessed 20/02/2015.
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