Parental concerns
Parents need to be aware that infants and rapidly
growing children are at higher risk for folate defi-
ciency. Parents of children with digestive disorders or
allergies to wheat products should discuss the need for
a folic acid supplement with their pediatrician.
Resources
BOOKS
Berkson, Burt and Arthur J. Berkson.Basic Health Publi-
cations User’s Guide to the B-complex Vitamins. Laguna
Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, 2006.
Fragakis, Allison.The Health Professional’s Guide to Popu-
lar Dietary SupplementsChicago: American Dietetic
Association, 2003
Gaby, Alan R., ed.A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Inter-
actions Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition: Improve
Your Health and Avoid Side Effects When Using Com-
mon Medications and Natural Supplements Together.
New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006.
Lieberman, Shari and Nancy Bruning.The Real Vitamin and
Mineral Book: The Definitive Guide to Designing Your
Personal Supplement Program. 4th ed. New York:
Avery, 2007.
Pressman, Alan H. and Sheila Buff.The Complete Idiot’s
Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. 3rd ed. Indianapolis,
IN: Alpha Books, 2007.
Rucker, Robert B., ed.Handbook of Vitamins. Boca Raton,
FL: Taylor & Francis, 2007.
Department of HealthFolic Acid and the Prevention of Dis-
ease. Report on Health and Social Subject. London, The
Stationery Office, 2000.
PERIODICALS
Kushi, Lawrence H., Tim Byers, Colleen Doyle, et al.
‘‘American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and
Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention.’’CA: Cancer
Journal for Clinicians., 56 (2006):254-281.http://
caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/56/5/254
ORGANIZATIONS
American Cancer Society. 1599 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta
GA 30329-4251. Telephone: 800 ACS-2345. Website:
http://www.cancer.org
American Heart Association. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dal-
las, TX 75231. Telephone: (800) 242-8721. Website:
http://www.americanheart.org
British Nutrition Foundation. 52-54 High Holborn, London
WC1V 6RQ telephone: 0207 404 6504, fax: 0207 404
- Website:http://www.nutrition.org.uk
Linus Pauling Institute. Oregon State University, 571
Weniger Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-6512. Telephone:
(541) 717-5075. Fax: (541) 737-5077. Website:http://
lpi.oregonstate.edu
Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of
Health. 6100 Executive Blvd., Room 3B01, MSC 7517,
Bethesda, MD 20892-7517 Telephone: (301)435-2920.
Fax: (301)480-1845. Website:<http://dietary-
supplements.info.nih.gov>
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition Folate and
Disease Prevention.<http://www.sacn.gov.uk>
OTHER
American Cancer Society ‘‘Vitamin B Complex.’’ American
Cancer Society, October 6, 2005.<http://www.cancer.
org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Vitamin
_B 6 .asp?sitearea=ETO>
American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. ‘‘Diet
and Lifestyle Recommendations Revision 2006.’’
American Heart Association, June 19, 2006.<http://
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier
=3040741>
Gentilli, Angela. ‘‘Folic Acid Deficiency.’’ emedicine.com,
May 22, 2006.<http://www.emedicine.com/med/
topic802.htm>
Higdon, Jane. ‘‘Vitamin A.’’Linus Pauling Institute-Oregon
State University, April 2, 2002.<http://lpi.oregonstate.
edu/infocenter/vitamins/VitaminA>
Maryland Medical Center Programs Center for Integrative
Medicine. ‘‘Vitamin B 9 (Folic Acid).’’ University of
Maryland Medical Center, April 2002.<http://
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/
VitaminB9FolicAcidcs>
Medline Plus. ‘‘.’’ U. S. National Library of Medicine,
August 1, 2006.<http://www.nlm.nih/gov/medline
plus/druginfo/natural/patient-folate.html>
Office of Dietary Supplements. ’’Dietary Supplement Fact
Sheet: Vitamin D.‘‘ National Institutes of Health,
August 22, 2005.<http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/
Folate_pf.asp>Tish Davidson, A.M.Folic acidseeFolate
Food additives
DefinitionThe United States Food and Drug Administra-
tion (FDA) defines food additives as ‘‘any substance,
the intended use of which results or may reasonably be
expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becom-
ing a component or otherwise affecting the character-
istics of any food.’’ In other words, an additive is any
substance that is added to food.Food additives