Association between folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and development of asthma in infants

Abstract

In Japan, women who are in the planning, expecting, and early stages of pregnancy are recommended to take 400 ㎍/day of folic acid supplements to reduce the risk of fetal neural tube defects. While folic acid supplements have become common, the risk of infant asthma due to excessive folic acid intake by mothers has been reported overseas. This research investigated the association between the consumption of folic acid supplements during pregnancy and the development of asthma in infants in Japan. We conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey of parents of children attending a nursery school in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on the diagnosis of asthma in their children and intake of folic acid supplements during pregnancy. The analysis was conducted on 305 participants. The results demonstrated that the incidence of asthma was significantly higher in the group that had taken excessive folic acid supplements during pregnancy. In this research, there was a positive correlation between intake of folic acid supplements during pregnancy and incidence of asthma. Although the results of this study do not negate the importance of folic acid intake during pregnancy, the intake of folic acid supplements is possible to be a risk for the development of asthma in infants.