Describe the Rationale for the DRI Committee's Recommendations for Folate

question 24

Essay

Describe the rationale for the DRI Committee's recommendations for folate for women of childbearing age. What action has the FDA taken to increase the folate content of the diets of this population group?

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Definitions:

Essential Elements

Nutrients required for organisms to perform vital bodily functions and sustain life, which cannot be synthesized by the organism.

Cohesion-Tension Theory

A theory that explains the movement of water and nutrients from roots to leaves in plants through the cohesive and adhesive properties of water.

Mesophyll

The inner tissue of a leaf, containing chlorophyll where photosynthesis takes place, typically between the upper and lower epidermis.

Casparian Strip

A band of cell wall material found in the roots of plants, impregnated with suberin and lignin, that controls the flow of water and solutes into the xylem.