Effect of folate intake on health outcomes in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis on birth weight, placental weight and length of gestation

Study answer

What this study found

Higher folate intake was associated with higher birth weight, showing a dose-response relationship. The pooled estimate for birth weight was significant overall (β = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.05; P=0.001). There was no clear evidence of an effect on placental weight (β = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.09; P=0.08) or length of gestation (β = 0.00; 95% CI: -0.01, 0.01; P=0.77). Overall, the review supports a beneficial association between folate intake during pregnancy and birth weight.

Study & population

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in healthy pregnant women from Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa.

Intervention

Folate supplementation during pregnancy was evaluated across randomized trials using folic acid or 5-MTHF, with doses ranging from 250 μg/day to 5 mg/day.

Key limitation

The evidence base was limited by a paucity of well-conducted randomized trials and a high risk of bias in included studies.

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Original abstract