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Folic acid in pregnancy – MTHFR gene explains why the benefits may differ

It’s generally recommended that all women should take folic acid, both while they’re trying to get pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is because folic acid is considered to be very important for the development of a healthy foetus.

But recently, it has been claimed this “one-size-fits-all” approach may be wrong and that some pregnant women may benefit more from alternatives to folic acid. Specifically, it has been found that forms of a certain gene that vary among people, may affect how the body utilises folic acid.

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 Folate vs. Folic Acid for Pregnancy: What you need to know

Avoid products that say “folic acid” on the label. Most health food stores will have quality brands of prenatal and multi-vitamins that have folate instead of folic acid. If choosing to supplement look for organic to avoid GMOs. If you take a multi-vitamin make sure to check the label because most multi-viatmins contain folic acid and not folate.

 Is B9 Benign?

Some pregnant women may be taking too much folic acid. But scientists have dubbed folic acid a “double-edged sword” because data suggest it might not always be doing good in the body. As with most anything, the dose makes the poison. A review published last week described intriguing reports of neurological harm from excessive folic acid in the scientific literature and said there is an “urgent need” to figure out the upper limit that can be tolerated.

Articles of Interest

Adding folic acid to staple foods can prevent birth defects, but most countries don’t do it

A little bit of folic acid goes a long way... Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9. Folate is the naturally occurring form of vitamin B9, which is found in foods like dried beans, lentils and green leafy vegetables. We’ve had unequivocal scientific evidence since 1991 that folic acid prevents a majority of spina bifida and anencephaly.

Folic Acid and the Prevention of Birth Defects: 30 Years of Opportunity and Controversies

For three decades, the US Public Health Service has recommended that all persons capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 μg/day of folic acid (FA) to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs).

Folic acid might actually reduce the risk of autism

Mounting evidence suggests nutrition right around conception matters for neurodevelopment.

Folic Acid Study Yields Unexpected Result

Women who might become pregnant need to have folic acid in their diets and a supplement about 400 micrograms per day. The reason for that is study after study after study shows that it reduces the risk of preventing neural tube defects like Spina Bifida," Senay says. "So women in that age group must continue to take the folic acid. However, people over 60 need now to think carefully about how much folic acid they're getting in their diet and talk to their doctors, looking at the total amount that they're taking."

Folic Acid's Benefits Go Beyond Birth

It's long been clear that one of the best things women of child-bearing age can do to prevent certain birth defects is to take folic acid supplements. Now, new research indicates that increasing folic acid intake may reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancer in adults as well.

Folic acid: new research is a 'gamechanger' in push to fortify British foods

Study concludes there is no need for an upper limit on folate, removing a further barrier to mandatory fortification that would prevent birth defects.

Folic and Folate Acid

Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin, also known as vitamin B9 or folacin. It is found naturally in a wide variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, dairy products, meats, eggs, seafood, and grains. However, only about 50% of the folate naturally present in food is bioavailable.

Millions of women take folic acid for a healthier pregnancy. Thank Lucy Wills.

In the 1920s, she discovered the “Wills Factor” in Marmite. It saved lives.

Most supplements are useless. There’s one big exception when it comes to women

There’s one really, really helpful supplement that women of childbearing age should consider taking: folic acid. Unfortunately, less than half of us bother to use it despite years of public information campaigns.

New Research: Folic Acid Supplements May Increase Cancer Risk

It can be frustrating sometimes to hear that you're supposed to do one thing for your health only to hear a few years later that this thing is, wait, actually bad for you. This is the tone of some newly released research that is making a lot of women scratch their heads. Let's break this down ...

Nutrition Tips: Folic Acid: Killer or Cure-All?

The fortification of our food supply with folic acid in 1998 reduced spina bifida birth defects by 19 percent. A good thing. But by some estimates it may have caused an additional 15,000 cancers deaths a year. Oops. Now what?

Reevaluating the Benefits of Folic Acid Fortification in the United States: Economic Analysis, Regulation, and Public Health

ON MARCH 5, 1996, THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required that manufacturers fortify enriched cereal-grain products with 140 μg of folic acid per 100 g of cereal-grain product by January 1, 1998. This decision was intended to ensure that women who become pregnant would be provided access to a nutrient that can prevent a substantial proportion of neural tube defects (NTDs).

Regimens: Cancer Concerns in Big Doses of Folic Acid

Grains and cereals have been fortified with folic acid in the United States since 1998, as part of an effort to reduce the incidence of neural tube birth defects in babies. But a new study has raised safety concerns, linking megadoses of the vitamin to increased cancer rates, particularly lung cancer. The study was done in Norway, where foods are not fortified with folic acid, making it possible to compare outcomes among patients treated with supplements and a group given placebos.

Scientists urge United Kingdom to fortify flour with folic acid to prevent birth defects

Dozens of countries add folic acid to flour to ensure that women receive the vitamin, which reduces the risk of babies being born with spina bifida. However, the United Kingdom has resisted calls to follow suit—and may have done so on the basis of flawed research, The Telegraph reports.

Should you skip prenatal vitamins with folic acid?

If you’re planning a pregnancy or you’re already pregnant, chances are your doctor told you to take a prenatal vitamin with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida and anencephaly. Yet new research shows that this recommendation may not be a one-size-fits-all approach and may increase the chances that your baby could be born with birth defects.

Task Force Recommends Folic Acid to Prevent Neural Tube Defects

An updated recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force calls for people who are planning to or could become pregnant to take a daily supplement with 0.4 to 0.8 mg of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. Supplementation should start at least one month before anticipated conception and continue through the first two to three months of pregnancy.

The Benefits of Folic Acid for Women

Studies have shown that beginning folic acid supplementation before conception significantly reduces the incidence of birth defects known as neural tube defects (malformations of the spine and brain) such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Folic acid supplements are routinely prescribed for women who may become pregnant.

The Folic Acid Controversy, MTHFR and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Did the FDA’s attempt to reduce birth defects have unintended consequences?

The One Vitamin Every Young Woman Should Be Taking

If you're capable of reproducing, we're talking to you—even if you're not planning to get pregnant.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Folic acid in supplements and fortified foods might exacerbate vitamin B12 deficiency, which has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults.

Why Fears Over Folic Acid and Autism Need to be Properly Understood

Experts are questioning a study that suggests a link between high levels of folic acid in pregnant women and a greater risk for children with autism. Taking the nutrient folate during pregnancy can prevent neural development defects early on, but a recent study suggested that there may be risks to taking too much, suggesting a higher risk for autism if a mother has four times the recommended amount of folate. However, experts, including the study authors, are saying: “Not so fast.”

Why Folic Acid Is Crucial When You’re Pregnant

Folic acid is a crucial component in preventing neural tube defects. It's essential in creating your baby's neural tube, which later becomes their spinal cord and brain.

Why pregnancy means less licorice and more supplements

One of the most common supplements taken in pregnancy is vitamin B9, better known as folic acid. Being a water-soluble vitamin, folic acid is not stored in the body, so it has to be regularly replenished. An expectant mother needs around 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, and that’s difficult to get from food alone—it’s a daily regimen of about 30 Brussels sprouts.

Women Still Need Folic Acid Supplements To Prevent Birth Defects

If you can get pregnant, you should be popping at least one pill a day: a folic acid supplement to lower the risk of a type of serious birth defect in any future offspring. So says the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which Tuesday reiterated its 2009 recommendation that all women who can conceive take 400 to 800 micrograms daily of the B vitamin in case their diet isn't providing enough of it.

Resources

Florida Folic Acid Coalition

The FFAC is a coalition of public and private agencies and businesses from around Florida who are working together to decrease the incidence of neural tube defects by encouraging women of childbearing age to take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily prior to pregnancy. The FFAC also promotes the recommended RDA intake of folate for all persons as a strategy for promoting overall good health.

MayoClinic

Folic acid supplements are suggested for use in women of childbearing age in order to prevent neural tube defects. Neural tube defect risk appears to have decreased in many countries since folic acid fortification of flour and cereals. Folic acid is also of interest with respect to cognitive enhancement, cancer, psychiatric illnesses, and cardiovascular conditions, although conclusions may not be drawn for many of these uses at this time. Some concern exists with respect to increased folic acid intake masking symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, especially in the elderly population.

MedlinePlus

Foods with folic acid in them include •Leafy green vegetables •Fruits •Dried beans, peas, and nuts •Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

NHS

Folic acid, known as folate in its natural form, is one of the B-group vitamins. Folic acid has several important functions. For example, it: •works together with vitamin B12 to form healthy red blood cells •helps to reduce the risk of central nervous system defects, such as spina bifida, in unborn babies

Patient

Folic acid may produce a haematological response in vitamin B12 deficiency but may aggravate the neuropathy and also precipitate subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord. Large doses of folic acid alone should therefore not be used to treat megaloblastic anaemia unless the serum vitamin B12 level is known to be normal.

ScienceDaily

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