TABLE 1.
Characteristics of the healthy young Irish adults from the study1
| Total (n = 2503) | Men (n = 1036) | Women (n = 1467) | P2 | |
| Age, y | 22 [21, 24] | 23 [21, 24] | 22 [21, 23] | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.6 [21.0, 24.4] | 23.1 [21.4, 24.9] | 22.2 [20.7, 24.0] | <0.001 |
| Serum creatinine, μmol/L | 64.7 [56.6, 74.3] | 74.2 [67.0, 82.1] | 58.8 [52.9, 65.7] | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 14.1 [13.1, 15.2] | 15.3 [14.6, 16.0] | 13.3 [12.7, 14.0] | <0.001 |
| Serum ferritin, μg/L | 32.2 [17.5, 56.6] | 57.5 [38.6, 82.9] | 21.5 [13.1, 34.0] | <0.001 |
| Serum vitamin B-12, pmol/L | 307 [231, 410] | 326 [253, 426] | 291 [214, 398] | <0.001 |
| Serum total folate, nmol/L | 29.9 [20.9, 43.4] | 28.5 [20.6, 40.8] | 30.7 [21.2, 45.7] | 0.002 |
| Red blood cell folate, nmol/L | 1000 [767, 1310] | 1030 [799, 1310] | 994 [740, 1300] | 0.10 |
| Plasma homocysteine, μmol/L | 8.13 [7.00, 9.64] | 8.92 [7.66, 10.3] | 7.65 [6.59, 8.96] | <0.001 |
| Total folic acid intake,3 μg/d | 140 [65.5, 287] | 137 [68.3, 293] | 141 [64.3, 284] | 0.73 |
| Supplement use | ||||
| Yes | 576 (23.0) | 202 (19.5) | 374 (25.5) | |
| No | 1903 (76.0) | 833 (80.4) | 1070 (72.9) | |
| No information given | 24 (1.0) | 1 (0.0) | 23 (1.6) |
1
Values are medians [IQRs] or n (%).
2
Statistical comparisons between sexes were carried out with the use of the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test for independent samples.
3
Calculated as the average micrograms per day based on reported intake in the previous week from combined supplement use and folic acid from fortified foods.