No abstract

DNA methylation status may be used as a functional indicator of moderately depleted folate status. The slow response to the repletion diets observed suggests that normalization of DNA methylation after moderate folate depletion may be delayed in older women.

A number of studies report health benefits for children and adolescents who consume breakfast. Breakfast skipping is fairly common in children and adolescents and increases as children age. Breakfast can enhance children's diets by positively contributing to daily nutrient intake, augmenting intake of key nutrients such as fiber and calcium, and provides an opportunity to help meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Breakfast also is associated with more healthful food choices. Cross-sectional studies support that eating breakfast more often may help children and adolescents maintain a healthful weight. However, the results from longitudinal studies are inconclusive and suggest that more research is needed to clarify this relationship, including understanding the mediating effects of initial weight status, dieting behavior, and physical activity levels. Breakfast consumption may provide some benefit toward cognitive function and academic achievement, but more research is needed. Breakfast is one facet of a healthy lifestyle that may help contribute to the short- and long-term health and well-being of children and adolescents. Health practitioners can promote healthy breakfast consumption in children and adolescents by addressing barriers to eating breakfast and focusing on individuals who may be more likely to skip breakfast on a regular basis.

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Folic acid supplements reduce the risk of neural tube defects and may be associated with reduced risk for vascular disease and cancer. Research data from both observational and controlled intervention studies provide strong support for the existing public health policies related to folic acid and neural tube defects. However, educational efforts to promote daily intake of folic acid supplements by women of reproductive age have not, in most cases, resulted in increased supplement use. In contrast, food fortification appears to be associated with a reduction in neural tube defects in the United States and Canada but is not practiced universally. The potential for folic acid supplements to reduce the incidence and severity of vascular disease and cancer is the focus of major research efforts including ongoing intervention studies.