Folic Acid and Down Syndrome | Building Better Health -
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Published on: 9/29/1999
Last Visited: 5/17/2001
All this is big news for dietetics professionals and other health care workers interested in developmental disorders , says Molly Holland , MS , RD , a nutritionist with the Division of Children with Special Health Needs in the Vermont Department of Health , Burlington.We do know that maternal diet plays a major role in birth outcomes , she says.We are also learning that certain micronutrients can alter the risk for certain birth defects , such as the relationship between folic acid and neural-tube defects.Although there is still much more research that needs to be done before we can say that folic acid supplementation decreases a woman's chance of having a child with Down Syndrome , this study : is a good start..
Holland says that although there have been several previous studies looking at the role of feeding issues and good nutrition in the development of children born with Down syndrome , this is the first study she has seen looking at a preconception link.She says it's just one more area where the Human Genome Project can advance. our understanding of the links between genetics and nutrition.It's good that we're starting to understand the mechanism of mutation and who might benefit from supplementation , she says.
Concerns
But Holland says that a single study is not definitive.We need more research in this area , she says.And a portion of the study also gave her pause--the fact that. the population in question was mothers active in the Down syndrome community.I worry about a self-selected audience , Holland says.But the fact that the researchers were working on a cellular level , she says , counteracted some of her concerns about the study population.
Still , the study offers a glimpse at how important genetic-environmental interactions will be in treating developmental disorders [ 3 ].I'm personally looking forward to more information corning out of the , Human Genome Project , says Holland.I think it will be a call to action for dietitians :.
References
( 1. ) James SJ , Pogribna M , Pogribny IP Melnyk S. Hine RJ , Gibson JB , Ping Y , Tafoya DL , Swenson DH , Wilson VL , Gaylor DW.Abnormal folate metabolism and mutation in the methylentetrahydrofolate reductase gene may be maternal risk factors for Down syndrome.
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* There's a lot of good reasons to take folic acid , says Holland.It's better to take it through food , but if you take supplements , at least you will be getting a good , regular source , she says.
* Any woman of childbearing age should begin consuming 400mg folio acid daily for prevention of spinal-cord defects long before conception occurs--and if this new study is proved valid , folic acid consumption in the preconception phase will be more important than ever.It's never too early to start , Holland says.
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