A human model to determine folate bioavailability from food: A pilot study for evaluation

Abstract

Background: Knowledge about folate bioavailability from food is essential for the estimation of dietary requirements. Yet, there is a lack of data obtained from validated human studies performed with physiological folate doses. Objective: In this pilot study, a new model for the determination of folate absorption is developed and validated. Design: Under strictly standardized procedures, two healthy ileostomy volunteers consumed single portions of test foods or an oral dose of a pharmaceutical folate preparation of the natural folate diastereomer (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Relative folate absorption from oral doses versus an intramuscular injection of the same pharmaceutical preparation was determined using postdose plasma folate concentration curves. Non-absorbed folate was estimated by postdose folate excretion into stomal effluent. Results: Estimated by plasma areas under the curve, relative folate absorption ranged from 47 to 67% for oral doses from the test foods strawberries and broccoli and the pharmaceutical (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate preparation. During 10 h postdose, 19-44% of the dietary folate was excreted with the stomal effluent. Varying gut passage times were observed for different food matrices by determining ileostomal folate excretion in 2 h intervals. Around 90% of the folate from the oral doses was recovered in the collected body fluids, plasma and stomal effluent, by 10 h postdose, independent of the size of the administered folate doses of 200 or 400 μg (0.4 or 0.9 μmol). Conclusion: The results imply that this model provides a suitable tool to estimate folate bioavailability from foods.