Maternal choline concentrations during pregnancy and choline-related genetic variants as risk factors for neural tube defects.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Low maternal choline intake and blood concentration may be risk factors for having a child with a neural tube defect (NTD); however, the data are inconsistent. This is an important question to resolve because choline, if taken periconceptionally, might add to the protective effect currently being achieved by folic acid.

Objective

We examined the relation between NTDs, choline status, and genetic polymorphisms reported to influence de novo choline synthesis to investigate claims that taking choline periconceptionally could reduce NTD rates.

Design

Two study groups of pregnant women were investigated: women who had a current NTD-affected pregnancy (AP; n = 71) and unaffected controls (n = 214) and women who had an NTD in another pregnancy but not in the curre

SUBMITTER: Mills JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4163794 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature