Maternal plasma folate concentration is positively associated with serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein across the three trimesters of pregnancy

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-11, Vol.10 (1), p.20141, Article 20141
• Main Authors: da Silva, Manoela T., Mujica-Coopman, Maria F., Figueiredo, Amanda C. C., Hampel, Daniela, Vieira, Luna S., Farias, Dayana R., Shahab-Ferdows, Setareh, Allen, Lindsay H., Brito, Alex, Lamers, Yvonne, Kac, Gilberto, S. Vaz, Juliana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/700/2814; Adult; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Cohort Studies; Female; Folic Acid - blood; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Lipoproteins, LDL - blood; multidisciplinary; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimesters - blood; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Triglycerides - blood; Vitamin B 12 - blood; Vitamin B 6 - blood
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77231-7

Increased first-trimester low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) concentration has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as gestational diabetes. The B vitamins folate, B-6, and total B-12 are key for the methyl group-dependent endogenous synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, which is needed for lipoprotein synthesis, e.g., very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), the precursor of circulating LDL-C. Maternal B-vitamin concentration usually declines across trimesters. Whether changes in maternal B-vitamin concentrations are associated with total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and lipoprotein concentrations is unknown. Therefore, we explored the association between plasma folate, vitamin B-6 in the form of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), and total B-12 with serum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG concentrations across trimesters. This secondary analysis used data of a prospective pregnancy cohort study included apparently healthy adult women ( n  = 179) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The biomarkers were measured in fasting blood samples collected at 5–13, 20–26, and 30–36 weeks of gestation. The associations between B vitamins and lipid concentrations across trimesters were explored using linear mixed-effect models. Among B vitamins, only plasma folate was positively associated with TC (β = 0.244, 95% CI 0.034–0.454) and LDL-C (β = 0.193, 95% CI 0.028–0.357) concentrations. The positive relationship of maternal folate and TC and LDL-C concentrations may indicate the importance of folate as a methyl donor for lipoprotein synthesis during pregnancy.