Lee Swanson Research Update

Folic Acid Supplements Cut Babies' Risk of Cleft Lip

February 2007

The role that folic acid plays in producing healthy babies continues to expand as more studies take a look at this important B-complex vitamin. Now, researchers find that taking a daily dose of 400 mcg or more of folic acid supplements during early pregnancy reduces the risk that a woman will have a baby with cleft lip.

Scientists already knew that taking folic acid prior to and early in pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, but it wasn’t clear whether folic acid also lowered the chance of having a baby with cleft lip.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, included the mothers of 377 children in Norway with cleft lip (with or without cleft palate) and 196 with cleft palate only who were born from 1996 to 2000. The study also included a group of mothers of 763 children without cleft lip or cleft palate.

Mothers were questioned about their diet and use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs during early pregnancy. They were also asked whether they took multivitamins and folic acid supplements during pregnancy and, if so, when and how often.

After garnering the information from the mothers, researchers calculated that daily folic acid supplements of 400 mcg or more reduced the risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate by 40%. Independent of supplements, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and other foods high in folic acid reduced the risk by 25%, the study concluded. Overall, the risk was lowest among women who took folic acid supplements and multivitamins and ate a folic acid-rich diet. The study also found that folic acid did not reduce the risk of cleft palate alone.

British Medical Journal online at www.bmj.com

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