Eating Fabulous

Folic Acid Supplements May Cut Risk of Cleft Lip

by ruth on January 26th, 2007

Expectant moms are always advised to take folic acid supplements, sometimes even those who are still in the planning stage of conception. It has been shown that folic acid is vital during early pregnancy to reduce the risk of the infant developing neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.

A recent study conducted in Norway also showed that taking folic acid supplements in addition to a folate-rich diet also seems to substantially reduce the risk of cleft lip.

Folic acid supplementation during early pregnancy (≥400 µg/day) was associated with a reduced risk of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate after adjustment for multivitamins, smoking, and other potential confounding factors (adjusted odds ratio 0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.96). Independent of supplements, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and other high folate containing foods reduced the risk somewhat (adjusted odds ratio 0.75, 0.50 to 1.11). The lowest risk of cleft lip was among women with folate rich diets who also took folic acid supplements and multivitamins (0.36, 0.17 to 0.77). Folic acid provided no protection against cleft palate alone (1.07, 0.56 to 2.03).

Other health benefits of folic acid supplementation also points to reduction in cardiovascular disease risks, although it doesn’t seem to help those with pre-existing vascular ailments.

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POSTED IN: ~Dietary Supplements, ~Impart Other Health Benefits, ~Prevents Other Diseases