Effect of supplementary folic acidintake for pregnant women on the newborn birthweight

Abstract

  Back ground During pregnancy the woman needs a good nutritional status for a healthy outcome. Poor nutritional statuses cause higher risks of malnutritional diseases and deaths for women and their embryos. Folic acid deficiency negatively affects pregnancy outcomes due to its association with DNA synthesis, and since the folic acid intake during pregnancy plays a significant role in modulating gene expression, the dose and its timing during pregnancy may be critical. This study The study was designed to investigate the effect of folic acid on pregnancy. A total of 92 pregnant women participated in this study. These pregnant women were classified into 3 groups according to their ages (20 – 30 years, 31 – 41years, and above 40years). The three groups were examined through a questionnaire that has to be answered by the pregnant women themselves. Result  The majority of woman were among the first age group (20- 30 years), whereas the highest percentage of diabetic women were in the last group (above 41 years). Birthweights were higher if the woman who took folic acid during pregnancy especially if they were diabetic. In fact, diabetic women that did not take folic acid during pregnancy had the lowest birthweights compared to all other groups.  Conclusion  The data suggested that taking folic acid supplementation helps in developing the fetus and thus the newborn baby will have a normal birthweight. Diabetic women showed that the average birthweights of their newborn babies were higher than the normal when they took folic acid and lower than normal in the absence of the supplementary folic acid.