The Inclusion of Folic Acid in Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplements Confers no Additional Benefit on Anemia Reduction in Nonpregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Malaysia.
Kaitlyn L I SamsonSu Peng LohSiew Siew LeeDian C SulistyoningrumGeok Lin KhorZalilah Binti Mohd ShariffIrmi Zarina IsmaiMaria MakridesJennifer A HutcheonMarion L RocheTimothy J GreenCrystal D KarakochukPublished in: The Journal of nutrition (2022)
Despite the low folate status among these nonpregnant Malaysian women, the inclusion of folic acid in weekly IFA supplements did not reduce anemia or improve iron status, over iron alone. However, the benefits of folic acid for neural tube defect prevention still warrant its retention in weekly IFA supplements.This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12619000818134.