Folate status during pregnancy and lactation in a West African rural community
- PMID: 3957708
Folate status during pregnancy and lactation in a West African rural community
Abstract
Red cell folate concentration was used to measure folate status in 89 rural Gambian women, 81 of whom were pregnant or lactating for the duration of the study. During pregnancy, the women received a haematinic supplement of 500 micrograms pteroyl glutamic acid and 47 mg iron a day, and a food supplement was also given to some of the women during either pregnancy, or lactation, or both. During pregnancy, the red cell folate levels reached a peak around the fifth month, attributable to the haematinic supplement. By the third month of lactation they had fallen back to a low plateau, which was below the accepted lower limit of normality in 56 per cent of those who did not receive a food supplement during lactation. In addition to these changes, there was a significant cyclical variation with season, peak values occurring in the rainy season. Plasma iron values followed the red cell folate patterns quite closely. Changes in blood haemoglobin levels during pregnancy were similar to those reported from other communities; there was also an increase in mean red cell volume during the first half of pregnancy, reaching a peak at the same stage as the peaks of red cell folate and plasma iron. There was no indication of the presence of raised cell volumes in association with low folate indices which might suggest megaloblastosis. It is concluded that the 500 micrograms daily folate supplement is both necessary and adequate to maintain red cell folate levels during pregnancy in this community, but that in the absence of further supplements during lactation, red cell folate levels will fall to undesirably low levels in many subjects by the third-to-sixth month of lactation.
Similar articles
-
Haematological response to supplements of iron and riboflavin to pregnant and lactating women in rural Gambia.Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1985 Mar;39(2):117-29. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr. 1985. PMID: 4019262 Clinical Trial.
-
Biochemical folate, B12, and iron status of a group of pregnant adolescents accessed through the public health system in southern Ontario.J Adolesc Health. 1995 Jun;16(6):465-74. doi: 10.1016/1054-139X(94)00001-U. J Adolesc Health. 1995. PMID: 7669797
-
Folate status of young Canadian women after folic acid fortification of grain products.J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Dec;108(12):2090-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.09.007. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008. PMID: 19027414
-
Seasonal variations in vitamins A, C, riboflavin and folate intakes and status of pregnant and lactating women in a rural Gambian community: some possible implications.Eur J Clin Nutr. 1994 Sep;48(9):660-8. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1994. PMID: 8001523 Review.
-
Folate and neural tube defects. Recommendations from a Danish working group.Dan Med Bull. 1998 Apr;45(2):213-7. Dan Med Bull. 1998. PMID: 9587705 Review.
Cited by
-
Folic Acid and Risk of Preterm Birth, Preeclampsia, and Fetal Growth Restriction Among Women With Epilepsy: A Prospective Cohort Study.Neurology. 2022 Aug 9;99(6):e605-e615. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200669. Epub 2022 May 16. Neurology. 2022. PMID: 35577577 Free PMC article.
-
Epigenomic Modifications in Modern and Ancient Genomes.Genes (Basel). 2022 Jan 20;13(2):178. doi: 10.3390/genes13020178. Genes (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35205223 Free PMC article. Review.
-
They Are What You Eat: Can Nutritional Factors during Gestation and Early Infancy Modulate the Neonatal Immune Response?Front Immunol. 2017 Nov 28;8:1641. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01641. eCollection 2017. Front Immunol. 2017. PMID: 29234319 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy for maternal health and pregnancy outcomes.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Mar 28;2013(3):CD006896. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006896.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013. PMID: 23543547 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Season of conception in rural gambia affects DNA methylation at putative human metastable epialleles.PLoS Genet. 2010 Dec 23;6(12):e1001252. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001252. PLoS Genet. 2010. PMID: 21203497 Free PMC article.