EURRECA - Estimating folate requirements for deriving dietary reference values

In most countries, the dietary folate intake associated with adequate status of red cell folate and/or serum folate provides the basis for formulating reference values. One of the major challenges in setting dietary reference values for folate, however, is the need to account for the differences in bioavailability between the natural forms of the vitamin and the synthetic form, folic acid, albeit to date, few countries in Europe take bioavailability into consideration. A series of systematic reviews that included only those studies which used the most robust measures of both folate intake and folate status were carried out by the EURRECA Network of Excellence to examine the relationships between folate intake, status, and a number of health outcomes relevant to specific stages of the lifecycle. This review summarizes the available evidence and the issues to consider in the setting of dietary reference values for folate.