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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter March 7, 2007

Fortified mineral water improves folate status and decreases plasma homocysteine concentration in pregnant women

  • Jouko Järvenpää , Ursula Schwab , Tiina Lappalainen , Mervi Päkkilä , Leo Niskanen , Kari Punnonen and Markku Ryynänen

Abstract

Objectives: There is no mandatory folic acid fortification of food in Finland. We investigated the effects of mineral water fortified with folic acid, vitamins B6, B12, D and calcium on serum and erythrocyte folate concentrations, serum vitamin B12 and plasma homocysteine concentrations in pregnancy.

Design: A randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel-group intervention study.

Methods: Seventy-four pregnant women were recruited from two health care units. The study began at the eleventh week with a two-week run-in period, followed by an eight-week intervention period. The diet was monitored by food records. During the intervention, subjects consumed 1000 mL/day fortified or normal mineral water. The pregnancies were monitored carefully.

Results: The folate intake was 255 μg/day in the study group and 274 μg/day in the controls. Serum folate concentrations increased in the study group by 10.3 nmol/L and decreased in the controls by 2.7 nmol/L (P<0.05) during the study. The erythrocyte folate concentrations increased in the study group by 360.9 nmol/L and in the controls by 195.6 nmol/L (P=0.004) and serum homocysteine concentrations fell by 1.1 μmol/L and by 0.3 μmol/L, respectively (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Finnish pregnant women have low dietary folate intake. Fortified mineral water improved folate status and reduced plasma homocysteine concentrations in the pregnant subjects.

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Corresponding author: Jouko Järvenpää, MD University of Oulu Oulu Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology PL 24, 90029 Oulu/Finland

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Published Online: 2007-03-07
Published in Print: 2007-04-01

©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York

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