Women who take folic acid supplements for at least a year before becoming pregnant can greatly reduce their risk of delivering a baby prematurely, American researchers say.
Folic acid, a B vitamin, is already known to prevent major birth defects involving a baby's brain or spine.
This study
shows it may provide another benefit - cutting down on premature births in which babies have less time to develop in the womb and are more likely to experience serious medical problems.
The study tracked about 35,000 pregnant women between 1999 and 2002 who disclosed their folic acid intake.
It found that women who took folic acid supplements for at least a year before pregnancy cut their chances for very early pre-term births - 20 to 28 weeks into the pregnancy - by 70 per cent.
Women taking folic acid for at least a year before getting pregnant saw their risk fall by about 50 per cent for births 28 to 32 weeks into the pregnancy.
Most pregnancies take about 40 weeks. A premature birth is one that occurs more than three weeks before the due date.
"We have an exciting and promising potential prevention method for pre-term birth," said Dr Radek Bukowski of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, who led the study.
"It's exciting not the least because it's a simple thing that's easy to be implemented, and it has a powerful effect."
The findings were presented at a meeting of the Society for Maternal-Foetal Medicine in Dallas.
Folic acid helps the body make healthy new cells. It is important for women to get enough of it before and during a pregnancy to prevent major birth defects including spina bifida and anencephaly, experts say.
Leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts are some of the foods that contain folic acid. Folic acid can be taken as a dietary supplement as in a multivitamin.
Taking it for less than a year before pregnancy provided lesser protection from pre-term births, Bukowski said.
The March of Dimes, an advocacy group that works to prevent birth defects, premature births and infant mortality, called the findings important.
- REUTERS
