Higher vitamin B12 levels in both parents associated with a lower risk of birth defects
A prospective cohort study quantifying the associations of parental vitamin B12 and red blood cell (RBC) folate with birth defects found that higher parental vitamin B12 before conception and higher maternal RBC folate concentrations after conception were associated with lower birth defect risk.
A prospective study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found a link between higher vitamin B12 levels in both parents and a reduced risk of birth defects. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Fudan University conducted the study using the Shanghai Preconception Cohort, analyzing data from 3,032 couples and 17,765 women.
The study discovered that higher vitamin B12 levels in both parents before conception and adequate red blood cell folate levels in mothers during early pregnancy were associated with a lower predicted prevalence of birth defects. The findings emphasize the potential significance of parental nutrition during the periconceptional period and early pregnancy in preventing birth defects.
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