Evidence mapPaperPMID 40276534Full record

ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025

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

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

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Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

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9 authors.

Meng Wang *Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Zonghang Tong *Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Chaoxue LiDepartment of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Yanhong WangAffiliated Hospital of Changzhi Institute of TCM, Changzhi, Shanxi, China.
Xueli YangTianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Zhongying GongDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Qiang ZhangTianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Xuan WangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Xumei ZhangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

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.

Indexed as

5-methyltetrahydrofolateNHANESobesityRBC folateunmetabolized folic acid

Identifiers

PMID40276534
PMCPMC12020389

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.