Women who take folic acid supplements in early pregnancy can reduce the risk of cleft lip in their baby by up to 40 percent, researchers said on Friday.
Folic acid, a synthetic compound of a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, has been recommended to prevent neural tube disorders such as spina bifida. But its impact on cleft clip has been less clear.
"Folic acid supplements during early pregnancy seem to reduce the risk of isolated cleft lip (with or without cleft palate) by about a third," said Allen Wilcox of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Durham, North Carolina.
Cleft lip or palate occurs when the tissues that form the palate, or roof of the mouth, and the upper lip do not join correctly.
Boys are more affected than girls and the disorder is also more common in Asians. Surgery is often carried out to repair the condition.
In a study published online by the British Medical Journal, the scientists studied the effect of taking folic acid supplements in Norway, which has the highest rate of facial clefts in Europe.
Fruits, vegetables
They questioned the mothers of 573 children born in Norway with cleft lip or palate from 1996 to 2000 and 763 women with healthy children.
The mothers were asked whether they took folic acid supplements early in their pregnancy and how much. After adjusting for smoking and other confounding factors, the researchers found that folic acid supplements reduced the risk of cleft lip by 40 percent.
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables without taking folic acid supplements cut the risk by 25 percent in the women.
"If folic acid is able to prevent a major birth defect in addition to neural tube defects, this benefit should be included among the risk and benefits of fortifying food with folic acid," Wilcox added.
The United States started fortifying flour with folic acid several years ago after its role was established in reducing neural tube birth disorders. Other countries including Canada, Australia, Mexico and Chile have followed their example.
