TABLE 7.
Dietary characteristics of the study population by RBC folate insufficiency (<748 nmol/L)1
| GM (95% CI) or n (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | n | RBC folate insufficient (n = 775) | RBC folate sufficient (n = 202) | P 2 |
| Dietary preference3 | 971 | |||
| Vegan | 2 (0.3) | 1 (0.5) | 0.86 | |
| Vegetarian | 51 (6.6) | 13 (6.5) | ||
| Nonvegetarian | 717 (93.1) | 187 (93.0) | ||
| Dietary preference3 | 971 | |||
| Vegan or vegetarian | 53 (6.9) | 14 (7.0) | 0.97 | |
| Nonvegetarian | 717 (93.1) | 187 (93.0) | ||
| Animal-source foods consumption | ||||
| Dairy | 971 | |||
| Never | 42 (5.5) | 11 (5.5) | 0.91 | |
| Almost never (<1×/mo) | 30 (3.9) | 5 (2.5) | ||
| Occasionally (<1×/wk) | 61 (7.9) | 17 (8.5) | ||
| Often (∼1×/wk) | 121 (15.7) | 31 (15.4) | ||
| Very often (>1×/wk) | 516 (67.0) | 137 (68.2) | ||
| Eggs | 966 | |||
| Never | 57 (7.5) | 15 (7.5) | 0.75 | |
| Almost never (<1×/mo) | 81 (10.6) | 25 (12.4) | ||
| Occasionally (<1×/wk) | 142 (18.6) | 36 (17.9) | ||
| Often (∼1×/wk) | 303 (39.6) | 71 (35.3) | ||
| Very often (>1×/wk) | 182 (23.8) | 54 (26.9) | ||
| Poultry | 970 | |||
| Never | 81 (10.5) | 24 (11.9) | 0.96 | |
| Almost never (<1×/mo) | 64 (8.3) | 17 (8.5) | ||
| Occasionally (<1×/wk) | 93 (12.1) | 26 (12.9) | ||
| Often (∼1×/wk) | 426 (55.4) | 109 (54.2) | ||
| Very often (>1×/wk) | 105 (13.7) | 25 (12.4) | ||
| Meat | 970 | |||
| Never | 178 (23.1) | 41 (20.4) | 0.12 | |
| Almost never (<1×/mo) | 250 (32.5) | 52 (25.9) | ||
| Occasionally (<1×/wk) | 156 (20.3) | 56 (27.9) | ||
| Often (∼1×/wk) | 163 (21.2) | 45 (22.4) | ||
| Very often (>1×/wk) | 22 (2.9) | 7 (3.5) | ||
| Fish | 970 | |||
| Never | 240 (31.2) | 67 (33.3) | 0.29 | |
| Almost never (<1×/mo) | 314 (40.8) | 73 (36.3) | ||
| Occasionally (<1×/wk) | 137 (17.8) | 40 (19.9) | ||
| Often (∼1×/wk) | 55 (7.2) | 19 (9.5) | ||
| Very often (>1×/wk) | 23 (3.0) | 2 (1.0) | ||
1
RBC folate missing for n = 2 women of reproductive age. Results outside assay limits of detection (LOD) were set to 0.50 × LOD (if below LOD) or 2 × LOD (if above LOD); results outside assay LODs: serum folate (n = 1 below LOD). GM, geometric mean.
2
Vegetarian: consumed milk and/or eggs; Nonvegetarian: consumed poultry, meat, and/or fish.
3
Chi-square statistics were used to evaluate differences in categorical variables.