Administration of folic acid during pregnancy causes allergies in children

It is known that folic acid is able to prevent neural tube defects. Therefore, doctors recommend women to use folic acid supplements during the first trimester of pregnancy. However, sometimes taking folic acid can cause undesirable consequences, Zee News reports.

Scientists of the University of Adelaide have studied lambs born in three groups of sheep. The first group included sheep with a small placenta, the second - sheep with a small placenta, received high doses of folic acid supplements during the last month of pregnancy, and the third group was a control group. Scientists evaluated the level of systemic inflammation and skin reaction for dust mites and a glair.

In the lambs from the first group, the level of inflammation with a dust mite exposure was higher than that of the lambs of the other two groups. There were no differences in the skin reaction. But the allergic reaction to a glair was stronger in lambs born in sheep treated with folic acid supplements at the end of pregnancy.

Source: Zee News.