09 March 2015
According to a new review from China maternal folic acid supplementation seems to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects in the offspring.
The meta-analysis included 18 studies investigating a potential link between increased folic acid intake during pregnancy and the risk of their babies developing congenital heart defects (CHDs) (1). The data analysis showed that maternal folate supplementation was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CHDs.
The researchers commented that low blood folate concentrations and/or high homocysteine levels seem to interfere with the development of the heart. Folic acid may play a role in the migration of the cardiac neural crest cells that contribute to the formation of the heart. As the precise effects of folate supplementation on cardiac morphogenesis are unclear, they said it is important to corroborate this hypothesis with evidence from clinical and population-based studies. Although the potential role of folic acid in the prevention of neural tube defects was reported as early as 1980, public health campaigns have resulted in preconception supplementation in only one-third of pregnant women, partly because one-half of all pregnancies are unplanned (2).
1 February 2015
People living in northern latitudes may have an increased risk of developing dementia due to the reduced ability to make vitamin D from the limited sunlight suggests a new UK study.
18 May 2015
Vitamin D has a key role in calcium metabolism in humans and therefore vital for healthy bone development and maintenance in humans. Very low serum calcium levels (less than 50nmol/L) are often found in populations who live in countries with limited sunlight, but a new study by Narchi et al. show that similar problems can also exist in sun-rich countries such as the United Arab Emirates.
25 July 2012
A new study suggests that vitamin D deficiency among Saudi Arabian children and adolescents can be positively influenced by increased sun exposure and physical activity as well as vitamin D supplementation.
