Folic Acid Supplements May Be Linked to Children’s Asthma

Children born to mothers who took folic acid supplements late in their pregnancies may be at increased risks of developing asthma later in life, according to a new study.

Australian researchers said their findings may be the first to establish a link between the use of folic acid during pregnancy and children’s asthma risks, according to a Reuters news report. The study’s findings are published in the December issue of American Journal of Epidemiology.

Many women take folic acid supplements or as multivitamins during pregnancy to help reduce the risks of birth defects of the brain and spine called neural tube defects, including spina bifida. Most experts recommend pregnant women take 400 micrograms of folic acid per day from before conception through the first trimester of pregnancy.

The study finding a link between late-term use of folic acid and asthma in children does not implicate folic acid use in early pregnancy. Therefore, the recommendation to take folic acid supplements early in pregnancy still stands, the researchers said.

The study looked at asthma rates among more than 400 children and found just under 12 percent of the children had developed asthma by age 3, and the same percentage had the lung disease at age 5.

The study found that overall, children whose mothers took folic acid in late pregnancy — from the 30th week on — were 25 percent more likely to have asthma at age 3 compared with children whose mothers did not take folic acid at that point in pregnancy.

The children also were more likely to have persistent asthma symptoms from the age of 3 through age 5, the study found.

The study’s authors said they are not sure why folic acid supplements in late pregnancy appear to increase asthma risks in some children. However, animal studies suggest that folate can alter the activity of immune-system-regulating genes in the lung tissue, potentially making it more susceptible to allergic reactions, Reuters reports.

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