BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE High plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels are known to be associated with coronary artery disease, but the precise level associated with an increased risk is yet controversial. Whether the beneficial effects of folic acid on arterial endothelial function persist over longer periods is not known. This study was carried out to assess whether folic acid supplementation could pro...

Although accumulating evidence suggests a chemopreventive role for folic acid in colon cancer, the regulation of this process in unknown. We hypothesize that supplemental folic acid exerts its chemopreventive role by inhibiting mucosal hyperproliferation, an event considered to be central to the initiation of carcinogenesis in the gastrointestinal tract. The present investigation examines the e...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether women who have ha da pregnancy in which the fetus is affected by a neural tube defect (NTD) know of current folic acid recommendations; whether the recommendations are followed before or during the pregnancy associated with an NTD and subsequent pregnancies; and to insure that women who have had an NTD-affected pregnancy have access to proper information about NT...

Background Preterm birth (PTB) is the major health problem world-wide; there are few published studies on PTB and folic acid. Methods The study was conducted to assess the serum level of folic acid in PTB. A case-control study was conducted at Saad Abualila maternity hospital (Khartoum, Sudan) during the period of March through December 2015. Women who delivered live singleton babies were div...

BACKGROUND Neural tube defects are among the most common birth defects, contributing to miscarriage, infant mortality, severe congenital abnormalities and serious disabilities. It is burdensome to patients, caregivers, healthcare systems and society. It could be reduced if women consume a folic acid supplement before and during the early weeks of pregnancy. This study assesses folic acid usage ...

OBJECTIVE Periconceptional use of folic acid can prevent birth defects, including at least 50% of neural tube defects. This study used an ongoing surveillance system to explore the association between pregnancy intendedness and women taking periconceptional folic acid. METHODS Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) surveys a stratified random sample of women after a live b...

BACKGROUND Folic acid-containing multivitamins have been associated with a reduced risk of preterm birth. We examined whether periconceptional use of folic acid alone reduced this risk. METHODS Data were derived from a large population-based cohort study conducted in China to evaluate the prevention of neural tube defects with folic acid supplementation. The sample comprised 207 936 singleton...

Katie P. Kilker Is Knowing Half the Battle? An Examination of the Relationship between Folic Acid Knowledge and Awareness and Daily Supplementation with Folic Acid among 18 to 24 year old Women Who are Not Contemplating Pregnancy (Under the direction of Russ Toal, Associate Professor) Neural tube defects (NTDs) are serious birth defects that affect 3,000 pregnancies in the United States annuall...

BACKGROUND Women in many countries are advised to use folic acid supplements before and early during pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in their infants. This study aimed to update the prevalence and to identify possible determinants of preconception folic acid supplement use in Italian women. METHODS The study was based on cross-sectional data from seven maternity clinics lo...

OBJECTIVE Neural tube defects are among the most common birth defects worldwide. Folic acid intake from one month before to three months after conception reduces the likelihood of neural tube defects by at least 50%. Since 1995, several campaigns have been organised in the Netherlands which resulted in 51% of pregnant women using folic acid supplements during the entire recommended period in th...