Proper Maternal Folate Level May Reduce Child Obesity Risk

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Researchers from an National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study found that children of obese mothers with adequate folate levels (at least 20 nm/L) had a 43 percent lower risk of obesity compared to children of obese mothers with lower folate (less than 20 nm/L).

Folate is well-known for promoting brain and spinal cord health in a developing fetus, and, now, could be associated with additional health benefits. Folate is found naturally in beans, legumes, citrus fruits, dark leafy vegetables, mushrooms, liver, poultry, and pork.

“Maternal nutrition during pregnancy can have long-lasting effects on child health, as well as the health of a mother after pregnancy,” said the study’s principal investigator, Xiaobin Wang, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D., from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, according to an NIH (National Institutes of Health) news release.

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