Folate in Health and Disease

Lynn B. Bailey, PhD, is a professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Her research focus is the estimation of folate requirements involving metabolic studies conducted with human subjects of all ages, including pregnant women and the elderly population. Evaluation of the impact of genetic variants on folate requirements and biomarkers for disease and birth defect risk is also a key research emphasis. Dr. Bailey has served as a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference Intake committee for folate, vitamin 12, and other B vitamins, and was a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Folic Acid Advisory Committee. She has served as a scientific advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Birth Defect Prevention, as well as for other organizations, including the March of Dimes and the Pan American Health Organization, on projects focused on neural tube defect prevention in the United States and developing countries. Dr. Bailey has received numerous awards, including the USDA Superior Achievement Award; the March of Dimes’ Agnes Higgins Award, Maternal-Fetal Nutrition; the American Society for Nutrition’s Centrum Science Award for influence on current scientific knowledge of folate status and requirements of humans; and the University of Florida’s Teacher Scholar of the Year award.

Folate Chemistry and Metabolism. Folate Bioavailability. Folate Biochemical Pathways and Their Regulation. Genetic Variation: Effect on Folate Metabolism and Health. Folate in Pregnancy and Lactation. Folate Status and Birth Defect Risk: Epidemiological Perspective. Folate-Related Birth Defects: Embryonic Consequences of Abnormal Folate Transport and Metabolism. Folic Acid Fortification: Neural Tube Defect Risk Reduction—A Global Perspective. Folate and Cancer: Epidemiological Perspective. Folate and Carcinogenesis: Basic Mechanisms. Folate and Vascular Disease: Epidemiological Perspective. Folate and Vascular Disease: Basic Mechanisms. Folate and Neurological Function: Epidemiological Perspective. Folate and Neurological Disease: Basic Mechanisms. Folate–Vitamin B12 Interrelationships: Links to Disease Risk. Clinical Folate Deficiency. Influence of Alcohol on Folate Status and Methionine Metabolism in Relation to Alcoholic Liver Disease. Folate and Choline Inter-relationships: Metabolic and Potential Health Implications. Folate: Recommended Intakes, Consumption, and Status. Kinetics of Folate and One-Carbon Metabolism. Folate Analytical Methodology.