Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy and implications in health and disease

99Citations
Citations of this article
324Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Maternal exposure to dietary factors during pregnancy can influence embryonic development and may modulate the phenotype of offspring through epigenetic programming. Folate is critical for nucleotide synthesis, and preconceptional intake of dietary folic acid (FA) is credited with reduced incidences of neural tube defects in infants. While fortification of grains with FA resulted in a positive public-health outcome, concern has been raised for the need for further investigation of unintended consequences and potential health hazards arising from excessive FA intakes, especially following reports that FA may exert epigenetic effects. The objective of this article is to discuss the role of FA in human health and to review the benefits, concerns and epigenetic effects of maternal FA on the basis of recent findings that are important to design future studies.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Barua, S., Kuizon, S., & Junaid, M. A. (2014, August 19). Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy and implications in health and disease. Journal of Biomedical Science. BioMed Central Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-014-0077-z

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free