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Investigation of factors influencing folate status in women who have had a neural tube defect‐affected infant
Author(s) -
Wild J.,
Schorah C. J.,
Sheldon T. A.,
Smithells R. W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1993.tb15306.x
Subject(s) - medicine , neural tube defect , physiology , vitamin , neural tube , red blood cell , gestation , vitamin e , pregnancy , endocrinology , fetus , biology , biochemistry , embryo , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , antioxidant
Objective To investigate folate intake and blood levels of vitamins in women with and without a history of neural tube defect (NTD)‐affected infant and to explore the relation between red cell and serum folate in those women. Subjects Twenty‐nine women with a history of NTD‐affected infant, who had taken periconceptional vitamin supplements one year or more prior to the study and twenty‐nine controls with no such history. Main outcome measures Dietary intake of folate was assessed by questionnaire and blood levels of folate, vitamin B 12 and vitamin C were measured. Results Neither dietary intake of folate nor any of the blood vitamins measured were lower in the women with a history of NTD infant. The majority of women who had received periconceptional vitamin supplementation subsequently had adequate folate intakes and red blood cell folates greater than 160 ug/l. Smokers had lower plasma Vitamin C levels than nonsmokers. Multiple regression analysis suggested that the relation between red blood cell (RBC) and serum folate may differ between women with and without a history of NTD. Conclusions Women with a history of NTD‐affected infants may have different folate metabolism from those who have not.