Construction of bioavailability evaluation system of natural folate in food stuff and its application

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Eating habits
• Research Institution: National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (2015-2016); National Institute of Health and Nutrition (2014)
• Principal Investigator: UMEGAKI Keizo 国立研究開発法人医薬基盤・健康・栄養研究所, 国立健康・栄養研究所 情報センター, センター長 (60191920)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 葉酸 / 生体利用率 / 緑茶 / 茶カテキン / 放射線防御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To evaluate bioavailability of various food folates, a folate depletion/repletion mice model was constructed. In the model, 4-week-old mice fed a folate deficient diet for 4 weeks were supplied with food folate for 7 days, and then the folate bioavailability was evaluated in terms of changes in folate level in plasma, liver, and bone marrow and decrease in plasma homocysteine level. Based on this model, we showed that tea catechin in green tea, which is considered a major folate source of Japanese, did not influence absorption of spinach folate, and had no practical impact on folate analysis in green tea, using the general microbiological assay. In addition, we showed that spinach folate as well as synthetic folic acid attenuated the chromosomal damage in bone marrow induced by total body irradiation of X-ray.

Free Research Field

栄養学