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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCArchivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición

Folic acid intake by pregnant women from Vale do Jequitinhonha, Brazil, and the contribution of fortified foods

  • Humberto Gabriel Rodrigues1
  • Muriel Bauermann Gubert1
  • Leonor Maria Pacheco Santos1
  1. 1Universidade de Brasília
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

The folate deficiency can result in irreversible health damage, such as the neural tube defects. The aim of this article is to determine the folate intake of pregnant women in Vale do Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, one of the poorest regions in the world. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done in 2013 with 492 pregnant women attending the basic health units run by the public health service (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS) in 15 municipalities. A standard questionnaire was used to gather the data, which included socioeconomic indicators and a food frequency questionnaire. The data were analyzed and compared statistically based on prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The prevalence of inadequate folate intake was associated with some socioeconomic factors: it was higher amongst the low income and less educated women, in younger women and those who had fewer meals per day. The prevalence of inadequate folate intake in the diet was 94.7% when the contribution of food fortification was not considered, 49.2% taking into account fortified foods, and 17.1% considering food folate, fortified foods, and supplementation with folic acid. We conclude that fortifying foods with folic acid at the current levels reduces the inadequacy of folate intake in the diet, but not enough to assure safe levels and to meet the nutritional requirements of pregnant women in Brazil.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{rodrigues2026folic,
  title = {{Folic acid intake by pregnant women from Vale do Jequitinhonha, Brazil, and the contribution of fortified foods}},
  author = {Humberto Gabriel Rodrigues and Muriel Bauermann Gubert and Leonor Maria Pacheco Santos},
  journal = {Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.37527/2015.65.1.004},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.37527/2015.65.1.004},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Folic acid intake by pregnant women from Vale do Jequitinhonha, Brazil, and the contribution of fortified foods
AU  - Humberto Gabriel Rodrigues
AU  - Muriel Bauermann Gubert
AU  - Leonor Maria Pacheco Santos
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
JO  - Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición
DO  - 10.37527/2015.65.1.004
UR  - https://doi.org/10.37527/2015.65.1.004
AB  - The folate deficiency can result in irreversible health damage, such as the neural tube defects. The aim of this article is to determine the folate intake of pregnant women in Vale do Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, one of the poorest regions in the world. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done in 2013 with 492 pregnant women attending the basic health units run by the public health service (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS) in 15 municipalities. A standard questionnaire was used to gather the data, which included socioeconomic indicators and a food frequency questionnaire. The data were analyzed and compared statistically based on prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The prevalence of inadequate folate intake was associated with some socioeconomic factors: it was higher amongst the low income and less educated women, in younger women and those who had fewer meals per day. The prevalence of inadequate folate intake in the diet was 94.7% when the contribution of food fortification was not considered, 49.2% taking into account fortified foods, and 17.1% considering food folate, fortified foods, and supplementation with folic acid. We conclude that fortifying foods with folic acid at the current levels reduces the inadequacy of folate intake in the diet, but not enough to assure safe levels and to meet the nutritional requirements of pregnant women in Brazil.
SN  - 0004-0622
SN  - 2309-5806
ER  -