BMJ  2007;334:433-434 (3 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39133.386296.BE

Editorials

Folic acid and birth malformations

Despite 15 years of evidence, preventable defects still occur

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

With prevalences of 10-15 per 10 000 and 20 per 10 000 live births, neural tube defects and oral clefts are among the most common congenital malformations. Good evidence shows that periconceptional supplementation with folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects.¹² What is less clear is the effect of folic acid supplementation on other birth defects, such as cleft lip, with or without cleft palate.

In this week's BMJ, Wilcox and colleagues³ report a population based case-control study from Norway, which shows that supplementation with folic acid in the periconceptional period reduces the risk of cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, in newborns. Supplementation with 400µg of folic acid for three months around conception was associated with a 40% reduction in the prevalence of cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, at birth (adjusted odds ratio 0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.96). Exposure data were . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Centre for the Prevention of Congenital Malformations, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense, Denmark, ² Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Folic acid supplements and risk of facial clefts: national population based case-control study

Allen J Wilcox, Rolv Terje Lie, Kari Solvoll, Jack Taylor, D Robert McConnaughey, Frank Åbyholm, Hallvard Vindenes, Stein Emil Vollset, and Christian A Drevon
BMJ 2007 334: 464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

International retrospective cohort study of neural tube defects in relation to folic acid recommendations: are the recommendations working?

Lorenzo D Botto, Alessandra Lisi, Elisabeth Robert-Gnansia, J David Erickson, Stein Emil Vollset, Pierpaolo Mastroiacovo, Beverley Botting, Guido Cocchi, Catherine de Vigan, Hermien de Walle, Maria Feijoo, Lorentz M Irgens, Bob McDonnell, Paul Merlob, Annukka Ritvanen, Gioacchino Scarano, Csaba Siffel, Julia Metneki, Claude Stoll, Richard Smithells, and Janine Goujard
BMJ 2005 330: 571. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Lowering blood homocysteine with folic acid based supplements: meta-analysis of randomised trials

Homocysteine Lowering Trialists' Collaboration
BMJ 1998 316: 894-898. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Morales-Suarez Varela, M. M., Nohr, E. A., Llopis-Gonzalez, A., Andersen, A.-M. N., Olsen, J. (2009). Socio-occupational status and congenital anomalies. Eur J Public Health 19: 161-167 [Abstract] [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Food fortification with Folic Acid– Risks vs Benefits

Dhruvashree Somasundara
bmj.com, 6 Mar 2007 [Full text]

Mandatory folic acid fortification - more than a 'theoretical' risk less than a panacea

Mark A. Lawrence, et al.
bmj.com, 7 Mar 2007 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>