BNF: There's a folate deficiency in young women

28-Apr-2015 - Last updated on 06-May-2015 at 12:07 GMT

Judy Buttriss, director general, BNF

One in five teenage girls and young women aged 16–24 years in the UK are deficient in the B vitamin folate, according to the latest figures from the government’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

Median blood levels are about half those in the US, where flour is fortified with folic acid. Folate deficiency results in a form of anaemia and blood levels in early pregnancy can show risks of foetal neural tube defects.

Women of child-bearing age are advised to take a daily folic acid supplement, though many don't, emphasising the importance of a good diet.

Folate sources

Principal sources of folate are leafy green vegetables, legumes, orange juice, liver, peanuts, almonds and fortified breakfast cereals. Potatoes and milk also contribute.

The NDNS makes it plain that many young women could eat better, exemplified by low intakes of iron in almost 50% of young women and riboflavin, calcium, iodine and zinc in 20%.

There’s low dietary fibre intake and only 10% of young women are achieving five fruit and vegetables a day. Many also have high free sugar intakes.

So there is a need to focus on the full basket of healthy eating messages, stressing micronutrient-dense foods.