Maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy in association with childhood overweight or obesity

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2024-06, Vol.32 (6), p.1179-1186
• Main Authors: Hung, Chi‐Yen, Lee, Hsin‐Ju, Tsai, Zhao‐Ting, Huang, Shu‐Jung, Huang, Hsin‐Yi, Tsai, Hui‐Ju, Yao, Tsung‐Chieh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Adiposity; Adult; Age; Alcohol use; Birth weight; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Breast Feeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children & youth; Cohort analysis; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Electronic health records; Female; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; Gestational diabetes; Guardians; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Medical records; Obesity; Overweight; Pediatric Obesity; Pregnancy; Premature birth; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; Vitamin B
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.24012

Objective This study aimed to examine associations of maternal folic acid supplementation (FAS) during pregnancy with childhood overweight or obesity (OWO) or adiposity. Methods In a population‐based cohort of 1479 children, maternal FAS during pregnancy was assessed retrospectively by questionnaires. BMI and body fat percentages were measured at a mean age of 6.4 years. Pertinent factors were accounted for in data analyses. Results Maternal FAS during pregnancy was negatively associated with OWO (adjusted odds ratio: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.99). There were inverse associations of maternal FAS during pregnancy with BMI z score (β: −0.22; 95% CI: −0.39 to −0.05), whole body fat percentage (β: −1.28; 95% CI: −2.27 to −0.30), trunk fat percentage (β: −1.41; 95% CI: −2.78 to −0.04), and limb fat percentage (β: −1.31; 95% CI: −2.32 to −0.30). Stratified analyses found inverse associations of FAS during pregnancy with OWO, BMI z score, and body fat percentages predominantly among children without breastfeeding and whose parents had a below‐tertiary educational level. Conclusions This study provides novel evidence that maternal FAS during pregnancy was significantly associated with a decreased risk of childhood OWO and adiposity, particularly among children with no breastfeeding and lower parental educational level.