Folic Acid May Prevent Miscarriage

Folic Acid May Prevent Miscarriage

STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Low levels of plasma folate maybe associated with an increased risk of early miscarriage, according to apopulation-based study conducted by researchers at Sweden's KarolinskaInstitutet in cooperation with the U.S. National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development (NICHD), an arm of the National Institutes of Health. Thestudy, published in the Oct. 16 issue of the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation (288, 15:1867-73, 2002) (www.jama.com),involved 468 women who had miscarriages and 921 control women. Compared withwomen who had normal or high plasma folate levels, women with low folate levelswere at increased risk of miscarriage, according to researchers.

In response to the study, NICHD issued a press release, notingthe results of this study indicate the 1998 U.S. mandate to fortify grainproducts with folic acid may prevent miscarriage in some women. "Theresults of this study reinforce the importance of folate for women in theirchildbearing years," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of NICHD."Not only does taking folic acid before conception prevent the devastatingform of birth defects known as neural tube defects, but it also appears to lowerthe risk of early miscarriage."