Age-specific associations of RBC folate and several serum folate forms with obesity risk: NHANES 2011-2018.

IF 4 2区农林科学 Q2 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Frontiers in Nutrition Pub Date : 2025-04-10 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1547844

Meng Wang, Zonghang Tong, Chaoxue Li, Yanhong Wang, Xueli Yang, Zhongying Gong, Qiang Zhang, Xuan Wang, Xumei Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: This study aims to explore the associations between RBC folate, several serum folate forms [serum total folate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-mTHF), and unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA)], and obesity risk in middle-aged and older populations.

Methods: Data from NHANES (2011-2018) included 11,615 participants. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were applied to investigate associations of RBC folate and various serum folate forms with obesity risk after multivariable adjustment. Potential effect modifications were examined through stratified analyses and multiplicative interaction testing.

Results: Among the total sample, middle-aged, and older participants, 4578 (39.4%), 3613 (40.0%), and 965 (37.2%) were obese, respectively. A positive association between RBC folate and obesity risk was observed, with the highest risks of obesity were consistently found in the fourth quartile (≥ 1,430 nmol/L) for the middle-aged adults (OR = 1.104, 95% CI: 1.045-1.166) and the older participants (OR = 1.157, 95% CI: 1.036-1.293). A significant negative association between serum total folate levels and obesity risk in middle-aged participants, with an OR of 0.804 (95% CI: 0.773-0.835) in the highest quartile (≥ 54.2 nmol/L). Similarly, serum 5-mTHF levels were negatively associated with obesity risk, with an OR of 0.800 (95% CI: 0.772-0.830) in the highest quartile (≥ 51.2 nmol/L). Most importantly, older participants with UMFA levels in the fourth quartile (≥ 1.06 nmol/L) had a higher risk of obesity (OR, 1.056; 95% CI: 1.004-1.110) compared with those with lower UMFA levels, but this association was not found in the total participants or the middle-aged participants.

Conclusion: Significant positive relationships exist between RBC folate and obesity risk. Additionally, low serum 5-mTHF in middle-aged participants and high UMFA in older adults were associated with increased obesity risk, highlighting the importance of monitoring folate concentrations for guiding future clinical trials on folate supplementation.

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红细胞叶酸和几种血清叶酸形式与肥胖风险的年龄特异性关联：NHANES 2011-2018。

背景：本研究旨在探讨红细胞叶酸、几种血清叶酸形态[血清总叶酸、5-甲基四氢叶酸（5-mTHF）和未代谢叶酸（UMFA）]与中老年人群肥胖风险之间的关系。方法：来自NHANES（2011-2018）的数据包括11,615名参与者。应用广义线性模型（GLMs）研究多变量调整后红细胞叶酸和各种血清叶酸形态与肥胖风险的关系。通过分层分析和乘法相互作用检验检验了潜在的效应变化。结果：在总样本中，中年和老年参与者分别有4578人（39.4%）、3613人（40.0%）和965人（37.2%）肥胖。RBC叶酸与肥胖风险呈正相关，肥胖风险最高的是中年人（OR = 1.104, 95% CI: 1.045-1.166）和老年人（OR = 1.157, 95% CI: 1.036-1.293）的第四个四分位数（≥1,430 nmol/L）。在中年参与者中，血清总叶酸水平与肥胖风险之间存在显著负相关，最高四分位数（≥54.2 nmol/L）的OR为0.804 （95% CI: 0.773-0.835）。同样，血清5-mTHF水平与肥胖风险呈负相关，最高四分位数（≥51.2 nmol/L）的OR为0.800 （95% CI: 0.772-0.830）。最重要的是，UMFA水平在第四个四分位数（≥1.06 nmol/L）的老年参与者肥胖的风险更高(OR, 1.056；95% CI: 1.004-1.110)与UMFA水平较低的患者相比，但在全体参与者或中年参与者中未发现这种关联。结论：红细胞叶酸水平与肥胖风险呈正相关。此外，中年参与者血清5-mTHF低和老年人血清UMFA高与肥胖风险增加相关，这突出了监测叶酸浓度对指导未来叶酸补充临床试验的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Nutrition Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Food Science

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

8.00%

发文量

2891

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： No subject pertains more to human life than nutrition. The aim of Frontiers in Nutrition is to integrate major scientific disciplines in this vast field in order to address the most relevant and pertinent questions and developments. Our ambition is to create an integrated podium based on original research, clinical trials, and contemporary reviews to build a reputable knowledge forum in the domains of human health, dietary behaviors, agronomy & 21st century food science. Through the recognized open-access Frontiers platform we welcome manuscripts to our dedicated sections relating to different areas in the field of nutrition with a focus on human health. Specialty sections in Frontiers in Nutrition include, for example, Clinical Nutrition, Nutrition & Sustainable Diets, Nutrition and Food Science Technology, Nutrition Methodology, Sport & Exercise Nutrition, Food Chemistry, and Nutritional Immunology. Based on the publication of rigorous scientific research, we thrive to achieve a visible impact on the global nutrition agenda addressing the grand challenges of our time, including obesity, malnutrition, hunger, food waste, sustainability and consumer health.