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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:31:44 -0500
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Conversation: FOLIC ACID MAY PREVENT CLEFT LIP AND PALATE
Subject: FOLIC ACID MAY PREVENT CLEFT LIP AND PALATE
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
<http://www.niehs.nih.gov/>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 26, 2007
CONTACT: Robin Mackar, 919-541-0073,
<e-mail: [log in to unmask]>
FOLIC ACID MAY PREVENT CLEFT LIP AND PALATE
A new study finds that women who take folic acid supplements early in their
pregnancy can substantially reduce their baby's chances of being born with a
facial cleft.
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, found that 0.4
milligrams (mg) a day of folic acid reduced by one third the baby's risk of
isolated cleft lip (with or without cleft palate). Folic acid is a B vitamin
found in leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, and whole grains. It can
also be taken as a vitamin supplement, and it is added to flour and other
fortified foods. The recommended daily dietary allowance for folate for
adults is 400 micrograms or 0.4 mg.
"These findings provide further evidence of the benefits of folic acid for
women," said Allen J. Wilcox, M.D., Ph.D., lead NIEHS author on the new
study published online in the "British Medical Journal." "We already know
that folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects, including spina
bifida. Our research suggests that folic acid also helps prevent facial
clefts, another common birth defect." In the United States, about one in
every 750 babies is born with cleft lip and/or palate.
"Folic acid deficiency causes facial clefts in laboratory animals, so we had
a good reason to focus on folic acid in our clefts study," said Wilcox. "It
was one of our main hypotheses."
The researchers examined the association between facial clefts and mothers'
intake of folic acid supplements, multivitamins, and folates in diet. The
researchers found that folic acid supplementation of 400 micrograms or more
per day reduced the risk of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate
by one-third, but had no apparent effect on the risk of cleft palate alone.
"A mother's nutrition during pregnancy is clearly an environmental factor
that can affect the health of her fetus," said NIEHS Director David A.
Schwartz, M.D. The NIEHS researchers are continuing to analyze their data
for evidence of other environmental exposures that increase the risk of
facial clefts.
This population-based study was conducted in Norway, which has one of the
highest rates of facial clefts in Europe and does not allow foods to be
fortified with folic acid. The investigators contacted all families of
newborn infants with clefts (either cleft lip with or without cleft palate
(CLP) or cleft palate only (CPO)) born between 1996 and 2001 in Norway.
The study included 377 babies with CLP and 196 with CLO; as well as 763
control babies randomly selected from all live births in Norway.
The researchers mailed two questionnaires to each of the mothers
participating in the study. The first questionnaire mailed soon after
delivery focused on general health information, including demographics,
reproductive history and information about environmental exposures including
smoking, alcohol and vitamins; whereas the second questionnaire focused on
nutrition and diet during the pregnancy. Mothers who reported taking folic
acid supplements and or multivitamins were asked to send in their empty
bottles or labels to confirm dosage.
The nutrition questionnaire included questions on mothers' fruit and
vegetable consumption during the first three months of pregnancy.
The researchers estimated that 22 percent of isolated CLP cases in Norway
could be averted if all pregnant women took 0.4 mg of folic acid per day.
In addition to funding from NIEHS, this research was supported by the Johan
Throne Holst Foundation for Nutrition Research, and the Thematic Perinatal
Nutrition at the Medical Facility of University of Oslo, Norway.
Researchers at the University of Bergen, the University of Oslo, and the
Departments of Plastic Surgery in Oslo and Bergen, Norway, also contributed
to this study.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a component
of the National Institutes of Health, supports research to understand the
effects of the environment on human health. For more information on
environmental health topics, please visit our website at
<http://www.niehs.nih.gov/>.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.
###
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REFERENCE: Wilcox AJ, Lie RT, Solvoll K, Taylor J, McConnaughey DR, Abyholm
F, Vindenes H, Vollset SE, Drevon CA. "Folic Acid Supplements and the risk
of facial clefts: A National population-based control study." "British
Medical Journal", 2007.
-------------------------------
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-26.htm>.
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