05 January 2012
According to a new study from the Netherlands, low maternal folate status during early pregnancy may be associated with a higher risk of childhood emotional problems.
In the population-based cohort study, plasma folate concentrations were measured and folic acid supplement use was assessed for women in early pregnancy (1). In addition, children’s emotional and behavioral prob-lems were assessed for 3209 children at the age of 3. The study results showed that children of mothers with prenatal folate deficiency were at higher risk of suffering emotional problems but not behavioral problems. A higher risk of emotional problems was also found in children whose mothers started using folic acid supple-ments late or did not use supplements at all than among children whose mothers started supplementation before conception.
The researchers concluded that adequate maternal folate status during early pregnancy seems to be associ-ated with a decreased risk of emotional problems for their offspring. In earlier studies, maternal prenatal folate status has already been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, but the association with child emo-tional and behavioral problems is still unclear.
20 October 2010
The use of docosahexaenoic acid fish oil capsules may not decrease depression in mothers after birth nor improve cognitive or language development of young children, suggests a new Australian study.
5 February 2014
High doses of vitamin D may have beneficial effects on the metabolic parameters of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
13 April 2012
A new review says that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids does not seem to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality for patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Experts criticize that the review did not include many studies that showed a preventive effect.
