There is still far more evidence in favor of
using folic acid supplementation than evidence against it, but these findings do show that keeping within the recommended limits may be a good idea.
Several large studies have also linked
folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy with decreased rates of neural - tube defects, which are serious and life - threatening defects of a baby's brain, spine, or spinal cord.
Sneed SM, Zane C, Thomas MR.The effects of ascorbic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and
folic acid supplementation on the breast milk and maternal nutritional status of low socioeconomic lactating women.
Although the USPSTF's recommendation
about folic acid supplementation has been in place since 2009, the proportion of women who follow the recommendations remains low.
Additionally, several large studies have
linked folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy with decreased rates of neural - tube defects, serious and life - threatening birth defects of the baby's brain, spine, or spinal cord.
There is not really a known upper limit for how much folic acid is safe, but doctors sometimes advise women to keep intake of folic acid under 1000 mcg per day, thanks to a few reports that
excess folic acid supplementation might be associated with a slightly increased risk of wheezing and other respiratory problems in the baby.
The authors conclude that
although folic acid supplementation is a standard recommendation in the UK, it is a policy that is poorly followed and strategies to increase uptake must be evaluated.
When comparing pre - and
post-conceptual folic acid supplementation, the prevalence of birth weight lower than the 10th centile was 9.9 % and 13.8 % respectively, while that of birth weight under the 5th centile was 4.8 % and 7.1 % respectively.
Additionally, further research is needed to focus on
how folic acid supplementation produces its effect on birth weight and how the dose of supplementation can be optimised in women considered to be at higher risk of SGA, state the authors.
The American Heart Association does not consider homocysteine a major risk factor for heart disease, he points out, nor does the organization recommend
widespread folic acid supplementation.
A definitive study from 1991 involving thirty - three centers in seven countries seemed to support the decision, suggesting a clear benefit
from folic acid supplementation with little down side.6 A bold assumption in supplementing with folic acid rather than folate was that the gut microbes would take care of reducing folic acid to folate (adding two hydrogen atoms and reducing double bonds) and then adding the all - important methyl group, prior to its absorption into the blood stream.
This UK population - based study and systematic review assessed the effect of timing of
folic acid supplementation during pregnancy on the risk of the baby being SGA at birth, defined as birth weight less than the 10th centile or in the lowest 10 % of babies born.
(4) Food fortification was deemed mandatory due to overwhelming evidence for the protective effect of
folic acid supplementation before conception and during early pregnancy on the development of neural tube defects (NTD) in newborns.
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Folic Acid Supplementation and Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Adding Grist to the Mill?»
Consistent with this, antenatal care focuses on minimizing the risk of harm to the future child, whether by advocating for alcohol abstinence in pregnancy,
folic acid supplementation to reduce the chance of neural tube defect, or minimizing teratogenic risks of medications in pregnancy.
First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo - Addo has yesterday 11th October, 2017 launched the Girls» Iron and
Folic Acid supplementation (GIFTS) programme as part of efforts to reduce the high prevailence of Anaemia among girls in Ghana.
Folic acid supplementation has already been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, and it is recommended in the UK for women to start folic acid supplementation pre-conceptually.
«In a recent evaluation using Demographic and Health Survey data from 41 countries, among women with 4 or more antenatal care visits, the greatest gaps in content of care involved iron and
folic acid supplementation and malaria prevention.
Folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy in the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (NEST).
Although the USPSTF recommendation on
folic acid supplementation has not changed since the task force's prior report in 2009, the current report considered new evidence obtained after mandatory folic acid fortification of the country's food supply.
Folate is proven to be vital to neurodevelopment and research has revealed that
folic acid supplementation could potentially prevent as much as 70 % of neural tube defects.
Many cats with EPI also have a small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and require antibiotic therapy and vitamin B12 and
folic acid supplementation.