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Table 2 Folate and related B-vitamin status of mother-child pairs from the FASSTT Offspring trial

From: Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on neurocognitive development in the child: an 11-year follow-up from a randomised controlled trial

 

Placebo (n = 31)

Folic acid (n = 37)

p value

Mothers during pregnancy

 Preintervention (14th gestational week)

  Dietary intakes

    

   Energy, MJ/day

 

8.463 (7.631, 9.296)

7.995 (7.468, 8.522)

0.31

   Dietary folate equivalents, μg/day

 

371 (306, 437)

388 (329, 447)

0.71

  B vitamin status

   Serum folate, nmol/L

 

50.5 (43.1, 57.9)

49.9 (42.8, 57.1)

0.91

   RBC folate, nmol/L

 

1055 (839, 1271)

1271 (1059, 1482)

0.15

   Serum B12, pmol/L

 

236 (209, 264)

233 (206, 259)

0.85

   Plasma homocysteine, μmol/L

 

6.1 (5.6, 6.6)

6.1 (5.6, 6.6)

0.96

   MTHFR 677TT genotype, No. (%)

 

4 (13)

5 (14)

0.91

 Postintervention (36th GW)

  Serum folate, nmol/L

 

22.4 (15.9, 28.8)

52.9 (45.8, 60.0)

< 0.001

  RBC folate, nmol/L

 

907 (722, 1042)

1864 (1650, 2078)

< 0.001

  Serum B12, pmol/L

 

169 (151, 188)

175 (152, 198)

0.98

  Plasma homocysteine, μmol/L

 

7.2 (6.5, 7.9)

6.3 (5.8, 6.8)

0.04

Neonates at birth

 Serum folate, nmol/L

 

68.2 (57.8, 78.5)

105.2 (93.4, 117.0)

< 0.001

 RBC folate, nmol/L

 

1512 (1272, 1752)

2216 (1856, 2575)

0.001

 Serum B12, pmol/L

 

286 (230, 342)

259 (216, 302)

0.42

 Plasma homocysteine, μmol/L

 

9.6 (7.7, 11.4)

10.4 (8.9, 11.9)

0.35

 MTHFR 677TT genotype, No. (%)

 

3 (13)

4 (13)

0.99

Children at 11 years

 Vitamin supplement user, No. (%)

 

9 (30)

8 (22)

0.62

 Fortified food consumer, No. (%)

 

28 (93)

33 (89)

0.87

 Dietary intakesa

PRIc

   

  Energy, MJ/day

6.400

6.676 (6.118, 7.234)

6.746 (6.088, 7.404)

0.87

  Dietary folate equivalents, μg/day

270

276 (234, 317)

265 (232, 299)

0.66

  Vitamin B12, μg/day

3.5

4.4 (3.6, 5.2)

4.1 (3.5, 4.6)

0.55

  Riboflavin, mg/day

1.4

1.7 (1.4, 2.0)

1.6 (1.4, 1.8)

0.49

  Vitamin B6, mg/day

1.4

1.6 (1.5, 1.8)

1.6 (1.4, 1.8)

0.73

 Biomarker statusb

cut-offc

   

  RBC folate, nmol/L

> 309

595 (502, 688)

662 (513, 810)

0.45

  Serum B12, pmol/L

> 172

511 (418, 605)

529 (460, 598)

0.75

  Riboflavin, EGRacd

< 1.40

1.48 (1.38, 1.58)

1.44 (1.37, 1.52)

0.54

  Plasma homocysteine, μmol/L

< 10.7

6.9 (6.1, 7.7)

6.9 (5.8, 8.0)

0.94

  1. Data presented as mean (95% CI), unless otherwise indicated. Differences between groups were assessed using an independent t test (continuous variables) or chi-square test (categorical variables). Statistically significant difference p < .05
  2. aChildren who provided dietary intake data n = 48 (placebo n = 21; FA n = 27)
  3. bChildren who provided a blood sample n = 33 (placebo n = 16; FA n = 17)
  4. cPopulation reference intakes from EFSA (2017) [24] and biomarker reference ranges from Kerr et al. (2009) [26]
  5. dEGRac, erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (biomarker of riboflavin status; a higher EGRac ratio indicates lower riboflavin status). Suboptimal riboflavin status is indicated by an EGRac value of 1.30–1.40 whereas ≥ 1.40 is considered deficient