What is it about?
To reduce the risk of neural tube closure in the fetus, the dietary folate and the folic acid supplement intake have been recommended to women who are in the pre-pregnancy stage and in the first trimester of pregnancy. However, some reports show the possibility that maternal folic acid intake causes the allergies in offspring. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the association between folic acid supplements and dietary folate intake during pregnancy and prevalence of wheeze and eczema in offspring.
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Why is it important?
Previous studies have mainly focused on the association between folic acid supplementation alone and allergies in offspring. However, in many countries, pregnant women obtain folic acid from both dietary sources and supplements. Therefore, in this study, we have considered combination of both folic acid supplements and dietary folate intake as potential exposures. As a result, Maternal intake of folic acid supplements was not associated with wheeze and eczema in the offspring. In contrast, dietary folate intake was positively associated with wheeze at the age of 2. However, other factors such as other nutrition, outdoor/indoor air pollution, and genetic factors may have affected the results, so that the results. Therefore, results should be handled with caution.
Perspectives
This article has conveyed the importance of using both dietary folate and supplements to evaluate the association between the maternal folic acid intake and allergy in offspring. At the moment, we suggest the intake of both dietary and supplemental folic acid to avoid neural tube defects. Further studies on the association between the maternal intake of folic acid and allergic symptoms at the age of 3 or above are needed.
Hideyuki Masuda
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Maternal dietary folate intake with folic acid supplements and wheeze and eczema in children aged 2 years in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, PLoS ONE, August 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272968.
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