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Low Folic Acid Intake = Low Birth Weight?

From the University of New Castle Upon Tyne

Mothers-to-be with lower levels of the vitamin folate in their body during early pregnancy are more likely to have babies with lower, or less healthy, birth weights, a study has revealed.

Conversely, researchers from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, who examined nearly 1,000 women and their newborn babies, found that higher levels of folate (found in some vegetables, fruits and cereals, and also known as vitamin B9, or folic acid) were linked with increased birth weights.

Expectant mothers who smoked were more likely to have lower levels of folate in their blood, which might explain why women who smoke often have lighter babies.

The health benefits of folic acid for babies are already known but this is the first time that folate levels commonly seen in UK mothers in early pregnancy have been linked with birth weight. The study is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Posted by on August 6, 2005 11:06 AM |

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