Folic Acid May Prevent Cleft Lip

BERGEN, NorwayA national population-based study out of Norway suggests use of folic acid supplements prior to conception and early in pregnancy may reduce the risk of cleft lip in infants (BMJ, epub Jan. 26, 2007) (DOI:10.1136/bmj.39079.618287.0B). Researchers coordinated out of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Durham, N.C., reviewed maternal intake of folic acid supplements, multivitamins and folate in the diet in the cases of 377 infants with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, 196 infants with cleft palate alone, and 763 controls.

Folic acid supplementation of at least 400 mcg/d during early pregnancy reduced the risk of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate by almost 40 percent, after adjustment for multivitamins, smoking and other confounding factors. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables and other high-folate foods also reduced the risk (adjusted odds ratio 0.75). The lowest risk of cleft lip was among women with folate-rich diets who also took folic acid supplements and multivitaminsa 64 percent reduction in risk. Folic acid provided no protection against cleft palate alone.

We already know that folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects, including spina bifida. Our research suggests that folic acid also helps prevent facial clefts, another common birth defect, said Allen J. Wilcox, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study. In the United States, approximately one in every 750 infants is born with cleft lip and/or palate.