Re: Digest Number 983 - folate and metrics

[Guest guest]

Here's an excerpt from an article from "Chemistry in the News"

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), a federal advisory agency, recently published recommendations concerning the B vitamines. The recommendations include: (1) Women who are considering pregnancy should consume 400 micrograms of folate or folic acid, also called vitamin B, vitamin B11 or vitamin M, in excess of the daily intake due to a regular diet. This measure is to avoid neural tube defects. (2) Older people should use supplements to make sure they meet the recommended 2.4 milligrams of B12 per day. Deficiency in vitamin B12 leads to pernicious anemia. What makes this announcement special? There are two reasons. This is the first time that the Institute of Medicine has recommended that large groups of people help meet their daily nutritional needs through supplements or fortified foods. Secondly, the announcement emphasizes that a good balance is important. Not only did the panel recommend to meet a certain minimal daily dosage, but the recommendation also asks for staying within certain recommended maximal amounts. Specifically, the IOM committee recommended that people eat no more than 1,000 micrograms, or 1 milligram, of folate daily, in large part because high levels may mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Pertinent Text ReferencesChapter 22. The Organic Mechanisms of the Coenzymes.Table 22.1 The Vitamins, Their Coenzymes, and Their Chemical Function.Chapter 22.7 Coenzyme B12: Vitamin B12Chapter 22.8 Tetrahydrofolate: Folic Acid

Questions

Question 1: Let's make sure we all have an idea about the quantities of vitamines we are talking about. How many micrograms make one gram? How many milligrams make one gram? Answer 1: 1,000,000 microgram = 1,000 milligrams = 1 gram.

ONE MILLION micrograms or 1000mg X 1000 = 1 gram

if you have folic acid 400 mcg tabs on hand and need a dose of 1 gram, you need 2 and 1/2 tabs.

Cheers,