Periconceptional folic acid supplementation and vitamin B12 status in a cohort of Chinese early pregnancy women with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2017 Mar;60(2):136-142. doi: 10.3164/jcbn.16-45. Epub 2017 Feb 8.
Yang T1, Gu Y1, Wei X1, Liang X1, Chen J1, Liu Y1, Zhang T2, Li T1.
- 1 Children Nutrition Research Centre, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, No. 136 Zhongshan Er Rd, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400014, China.
- 2 Capital Institute of Pediatrics, No. 2 Yabao Er Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China.
I was unaware that folic acid might reduce premature births
Only 1% of the mothers were aware of the association
Vitamin D was not mentioned in the study
Wonder what % of the women who were taking folic acid were also taking vitamin D
It has been clear that folic acid prevents NTD if taken early or before pregnancy
I failed to notice as to when to take folic acid so as to reduce premature births
See also VitaminDWiki
- Vitamin D is 100X better than folic acid during pregnancy
- Autism risk reduced 2X by prenatal vitamins (Vitamin D or Folic) – Feb 2019
- Autism 17 times more likely with excessive Folic Acid and B-12 (now added to bread) – May 2016
- Increased cows milk allergy if Folic acid or Folate added to vitamin D during pregnancy – June 2016
- Off topic: Folic Acid - the horror story (for a small percentage of people) - Sept 2013
- Vitamin D and Folate fortification of foods - April 2012
- Small for gestational age birth was 6.5X more likely if mother was vitamin D deficient – March 2015
- Low Vitamin D results in adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes – Wagner meta-analysis March 2017
- Preterm birth rate reduced by 43 percent with adequate Vitamin D supplementation – meta-analysis Feb 2017
- Preterm birth extended by 2 weeks with Omega-3 – Meta-analysis Nov 2015
- Preterm births are VERY costly – Feb 2017
compares cost effetiveness of Vit D, Vit C, Omega-3 and Iodine
Healthy pregnancies need lots of vitamin D has the following summary
Most were taking 2,000 to 7,000 IU daily for >50% of pregnancy
Click on hyperlinks for details
Problem | Vit. D Reduces | Evidence |
| 0. Chance of not conceiving | 3.4 times | Observe |
| 1. Miscarriage | 2.5 times | Observe |
| 2. Pre-eclampsia | 3.6 times | RCT |
| 3. Gestational Diabetes | 3 times | RCT |
| 4. Good 2nd trimester sleep quality | 3.5 times | Observe |
| 5. Premature birth | 2 times | RCT |
| 6. C-section - unplanned | 1.6 times | Observe |
| Stillbirth - OMEGA-3 | 4 times | RCT - Omega-3 |
| 7. Depression AFTER pregnancy | 1.4 times | RCT |
| 8. Small for Gestational Age | 1.6 times | meta-analysis |
| 9. Infant height, weight, head size within normal limits | RCT | |
| 10. Childhood Wheezing | 1.3 times | RCT |
| 11. Additional child is Autistic | 4 times | Intervention |
| 12.Young adult Multiple Sclerosis | 1.9 times | Observe |
| 13. Preeclampsia in young adult | 3.5 times | RCT |
| 14. Good motor skills @ age 3 | 1.4 times | Observe |
| 15. Childhood Mite allergy | 5 times | RCT |
| 16. Childhood Respiratory Tract visits | 2.5 times | RCT |
RCT = Randomized Controlled Trial
Search PubMed for ("folic acid" OR folate) ("premature birth" OR SGA) 156 items as of April 2017
- Placental dysfunction is associated with altered microRNA expression in pregnant women with low folate status.
- Effect of folic acid supplementation on preterm delivery and small for gestational age births: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Maternal Continuing Folic Acid Supplementation after the First Trimester of Pregnancy Increased the Risk of Large-for-Gestational-Age Birth: A Population-Based Birth Cohort Study.
- Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation on gene methylation and being small for gestational age.
- Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy to prevent preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. (2016)
- Folic acid supplementation in early pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia, small for gestational age offspring and preterm delivery.
About a 3X reduction in preterm births and SGA if take Folic Acid
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
Maternal folate and vitamin B12 deficiency predict poor pregnancy outcome. To improve pregnancy outcomes in rural area of China, we investigate rural women's folic acid supplementation (FAS) status and the associations between maternal vitamin B status during the first trimester and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes. We collected the questionnaire information and drew 5 ml of blood from 309 early pregnant rural women. The birth outcomes were retrieved from medical records after delivery. Out of the total, 257 had taken FAS, including 50 before conception (group A) and 207 during the first trimester (group B ). The concentration of plasma folate and the RBC folate supplementation groups were obviously higher than that of no-supplementation group (group N, p<0.01). The mean vitamin B12 levels in FAS group were significantly higher than those in groups N and B (p<0.05).
Women who delivered SGA or premature infants had reduced plasma folate levels (p<0.05) compared with controls. The multiple linear regression models revealed that RBC folate levels affected the infant birth weight (p<0.01) and birth length (p<0.05). In conclusion, FAS can significantly improve plasma folate and RBC folate levels in childbearing-age women and reduce the risk of subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes.
PMID: 28366994 PMCID: PMC5370528 DOI: 10.3164/jcbn.16-45