Human Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Scientific Board of the Folic Acid Foundation Switzerland, 8370 Sirnach, Switzerland.
Nutrients. 2020 Dec 3;12(12):3729. doi: 10.3390/nu12123729.
Folate plays an essential role in the prevention of neural tube defects, yet little is known about the folate status of women of reproductive age or to what degree the general population is aware of the importance of folate in early-life development. We aimed to determine folate status in women of reproductive age and pregnant women in Switzerland, and to assess folate awareness in the Swiss population.
In a convenience sample of 171 women of reproductive age and 177 pregnant women throughout Switzerland, we measured red blood cell (RBC) folate concentration. In a second convenience sample ( = 784, men and women) we assessed folate knowledge with an online survey.
RBC folate concentration (median interquartile range) was 442 (366, 564) nmol/L in women of reproductive age and 873 (677, 1177) nmol/L in pregnant women. Folate deficiency (RBC folate <340 nmol/L) was found in 19.9% of women of reproductive age and 2.8% of pregnant women, while 91.8% of women of reproductive age and 52.0% of pregnant women showed folate concentrations indicating an elevated risk of neural tube defects (RBC folate <906 nmol/L). The online survey showed that a high proportion (≥88%) of participants were aware of folate's role in neural tube defect (NTD) prevention and fetal development, yet knowledge about dietary sources and national recommendations of folate supplementation when planning pregnancy were limited.
The high prevalence of folate inadequacy in Swiss women suggests an elevated risk of neural tube defects and calls for urgent measures to increase folate intakes.
叶酸在预防神经管缺陷方面起着至关重要的作用，但人们对育龄妇女的叶酸状况知之甚少，也不知道普通大众对叶酸在生命早期发育中的重要性了解到何种程度。我们旨在确定瑞士育龄妇女和孕妇的叶酸状况，并评估瑞士人口对叶酸的认识。
在瑞士各地的 171 名育龄妇女和 177 名孕妇的方便样本中，我们测量了红细胞（RBC）叶酸浓度。在第二个方便样本（= 784 名男性和女性）中，我们通过在线调查评估了叶酸知识。
育龄妇女的 RBC 叶酸浓度（中位数四分位距）为 442（366，564）nmol/L，孕妇为 873（677，1177）nmol/L。育龄妇女中叶酸缺乏（RBC 叶酸<340 nmol/L）的发生率为 19.9%，孕妇中为 2.8%，而育龄妇女中 91.8%和孕妇中 52.0%的叶酸浓度表明神经管缺陷（RBC 叶酸<906 nmol/L）的风险增加。在线调查显示，相当比例（≥88%）的参与者意识到叶酸在预防神经管缺陷（NTD）和胎儿发育中的作用，但对叶酸的饮食来源和国家推荐的备孕补充叶酸的知识有限。
瑞士妇女中叶酸不足的高患病率表明神经管缺陷的风险增加，需要采取紧急措施增加叶酸摄入量。
