Associations of folic acid supplements and dietary folate intake with gestational diabetes mellitus: complementary evidence from a multimethod investigation - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #folic acid
- #gestational diabetes
- #dietary folate
- The study explores the controversial relationship between folic acid supplementation, dietary folate intake, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using a multimethod approach.
- A retrospective cohort study of 10,479 pregnant women found folic acid supplement users had a 46.2% higher likelihood of GDM compared to non-users.
- Mendelian randomization analysis supported a potential causal link between genetically predicted folic acid supplement use and increased GDM risk.
- NHANES data analysis showed higher total folate and dietary folate equivalents (DFEs) intake were associated with increased GDM risk, with non-linear dose-response inflection points identified.
- Subgroup analyses confirmed consistent trends toward increased GDM risk with higher folate intake, even after multivariable adjustments.
- The study concludes that both supplemental folic acid and dietary folate intake may elevate GDM risk, suggesting a need for further research on prenatal folate recommendations.