Folic Acid Early in Pregnancy May Increase Baby’s Asthma Risk

Posted on January 6, 2010 in Health & Medicine, Parenting, Women's Health

Women who take folic acid supplements later in pregnancy appear to be at greater risk of having children who will develop asthma, a new Australian study suggests.

The study is an important finding because millions of women take folic acid tablets or multivitamins containing the ingredient just before conception through the first trimester. However, the study’s findings apply only to taking folic acid later in pregnancy and the recommendation to take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day earlier in pregnancy still stands, according to a Reuters news report.

For the study, researchers examined asthma rates among more than 400 children and found just under 12 percent of the children had developed asthma by age 3, and the same percentage had the lung disease at age 5.

Overall, the study found children whose mothers took folic acid in late pregnancy — from the 30th week on — were 25 percent more likely to have asthma at age 3 compared with children whose mothers did not take folic acid at that point in pregnancy.

The children also were more likely to have persistent asthma symptoms from the age of 3 through age 5, the study found.

The study’s authors said they are not sure why folic acid supplements in late pregnancy appear to increase asthma risks in some children. However, animal studies suggest that folate can alter the activity of immune-system-regulating genes in the lung tissue, potentially making it more susceptible to allergic reactions, Reuters reports.