Folic acid supplements may boost risk of respiratory illness
Tuesday, 02 Dec 2008 08:26
Folic acid supplements may boost risk of respiratory illness
Folic acid supplements taken by women during early pregnancy may boost the risk of respiratory illness in their children, new research claims.
A report published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that infants whose mothers had taken the supplements in the first three months of their pregnancy were slightly more likely to "wheeze and/or have respiratory infections up the age of 18 months".
The same children were also 24 per cent more likely to require admission to hospital as a result of their infection.
The authors of the report claim that folate and other vitamins act as methyl donors - meaning they affect the process of methylation (biochemical process) - which in turn alters genetic activity.
They add it may have a key role in the development of certain immune (T) cells, which could influence the likelihood of airway inflammation in early childhood.
Folate is used in flour in a number of countries including the United States and is recommended to curb the risk of congenital abnormalities in the developing fetus.