Folate May Lower Obesity Risk in Children and Teenagers

Published in the BMC Pediatrics journal, this study examined whether the amount of folate (a B vitamin found in foods such as leafy greens, beans, and fortified grains) in children’s diets is linked to their risk of obesity. The researchers analyzed data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), looking at 9,404 children and teenagers aged 6 to 19 years. They compared participants’ reported dietary folate intake with measures of body weight and abdominal fat to see whether higher folate intake was associated with lower levels of obesity.

The analysis found that children and adolescents who consumed more folate generally had a lower likelihood of being overweight or obese, as well as a lower risk of having excess fat around the waist. When intake was below about 190-195 micrograms per 1,000 calories of food, increasing folate intake was linked to a substantial reduction – about one-third – in the odds of being overweight or having central obesity.

The link between folate intake and obesity was mainly seen in adolescents rather than younger children, while the relationship with abdominal obesity was particularly evident among teenage girls. The findings suggest that increasing folate intake through diet could potentially play a role in future strategies aimed at reducing obesity among young people.

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