Keywords
FS265
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
To decrease a baby’s chances of having certain types of births defects, mothers need to have already been consuming enough of the vitamin called folate, or folic acid, before they become pregnant. This article provides information about the folate/folic acid needs of women who are capable of becoming pregnant, including its role in preventing birth defects, sources, and strategies for meeting the recommended intake. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Caroline Dunn and Gail Kauwell, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, February 2015. (Photo Credit: Mike Watson Images/moodboard/Thinkstock.com)
FSHN15-03/FS265: Women's Nutrition: Folate/Folic Acid (ufl.edu)
References
Badovinac, R. L., Werler, M. M., Williams, P. L., Kelsey, K. T., & Hayes, C. (2007). Folic acid-containing supplement consumption during pregnancy and risk for oral clefts: a meta-analysis. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 79, 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdra.20315
Berry R. J., Li, Z., Erickson, J. D., Li, S., Moore, C. A., Wang, H., Mulinare, J., Zhao, P., Wong, L. Y., Gindler, J., Hong, S. X., & Correa, A. (1999). Prevention of neural-tube defects with folic acid in China. China-U.S. Collaborative Project for Neural Tube Defect Prevention. N Engl J Med., 341(20), 1485-1490. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199911113412001
Botto, L. D., Mulinare, J., & Erickson, J. D. (2000). Occurrence of congenital heart defects in relation to maternal multivitamin use. American Journal of Epidemiology, 151(9), 878-884. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a010291
Botto, L. D., Mulinare, J., & Erickson, J. D. (2003). Do multivitamin or folic acid supplements reduce the risk for congenital heart defects? Evidence and gaps. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 121(2), 95-101. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.20132
Czeizel, A. E. (1998). Periconceptional folic acid containing multivitamin supplementation. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 78(2), 151-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-2115(98)00061-X
Czeizel A.E., Vereczkey A., & Szabo I. (2015). Folic acid in pregnant women associated with reduced prevalence of severe congenital heart defects in their children: a national population-based case-control study. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 193, 34-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2015.06.024
Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2015). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015. Retrieved from https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf.
Finer, L. B., Zolna, M. R. (2016). Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011. N Engl J Med. 374(9), 843852. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1506575
Florida Folic Acid Coalition. (2012). Taking supplements. Retrieved from http://folicacidnow.net/folic_acid/sources.html.
Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board (1998). Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Jahanbin A., Shadkam E., Miri H.H., Shirazi A.S., Abtahi M. (2018) Maternal folic acid supplementation and the risk of oral clefts in offspring. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000004488. [Epub ahead of print]. https://doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0000000000004488
Kelly, D., O'Dowd, T., & Reulbach, U. (2012). Use of folic acid supplements and risk of cleft lip and palate in infants: a population-based cohort study. British Journal of General Practice, 62(600), e466-e472. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp12X652328
Larsson, S. C., Giovannucci, E., & Wolk, A. (2007). Folate and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 99(1), 64-76. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djk006
National Institutes of Health. (2012). Folate Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/.
Oaks, B. M., Dodd, K. W., Meinhold, C. L., Jiao, L., Church, T. R., Stolzenberg-Solomon, R. Z. (2010). Folate intake, post-folic acid grain fortification, and pancreatic cancer risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Am J CLin Nutr. 91(2), 449-455. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2009.28433
van Beynum, I. M., Kapusta, L., Bakker, M. K., den Heijer, M., Blom, H. J., & de Walle, H. E. (2010). Protective effect of periconceptional folic acid supplements on the risk of congenital heart defects: a registry-based case-control study in the northern Netherlands. European Heart Journal, 31(4), 464-471. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehp479
Wald, D. S., Law, M., & Morris, J. K. (2002). Homocysteine and cardiovascular disease: evidence on causality from a meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 325(7374), 1202. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7374.1202
Wolff, T., Witkop, C. T., Miller, T., & Syed, S. B. (2009). Folic acid supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects: an update of the evidence for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150(9), 632-639. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-9-200905050-00010