Study says too much folic acid in pregnancy can lead to allergies/asthma in children - Page 2

[Aubergine68]

Shelsi, I'm sorry you are going through this worry about your daughter, but I am so glad your own health issue turned out ok!

I don't know if it helps anyone, but my story tends to show the opposite to this study's conclusions.

Dh and I both borderline asthmatic (dh is worse). History of neural tube defects and clefting in my family, so I was prescribed megadoses of folic acid before and during pregnancy with all three pg. My oldest had a mild dairy allergy and tendency to chest infections which she outgrew by age 3 (unlike her dad) and my younger two are totally healthy. All three avoided the family history of defects.

I really wanted to and tried to get as much folic acid as possible through natural sources, but I was one of those with violent nausea and a total aversion to most foods, including all vegetables for pretty much the first half of pregnacy. I just couldn't do it with diet.

[LauraLoo]

ughh! I read this stuff and my head spins!

Not enough folic acid and you have spinal bifida (right?) Too much and you have allergies/asthma.

Too much Vitamin C and you have allergies. Too little and you have a host of other possible problems.

If you eat, you absorb contaminants. If you don't eat, you die.

Sigh. Sorry for the rant....

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by kangaroomum25

Yep, I think there's even a few studies about how the fake (synthetic) vitamins actually keep you from absorbing the real thing or something like that, sorry I dont have a better written answer right now.

Unless the data is totally fabricated, that wouldn't explain why the recommendation for extra folic acid for pg woman has caused a decrease in neural tube defects. Also data show that the blood folate level in women is higher now than it used to be (I don't have the link, but it was from the CDC and March of Dimes).

Originally Posted by Shelsi

Ugh, I didn't need to read that. I took high doses of folic acid when pregnant with dd. It was advised by my midwives since I'd had an abnormal pap and then a colposcopy that came back saying I had mild to moderate displaysia. There are studies saying large amounts of folic acid can "reverse" cell change on the cervix. I took a mega dose of folic acid every day from the time I was about 25 weeks prego or so FTR, I stopped when I got my normal pap results after giving birth to her so it may have actually worked.

I know what you're all going to say. It's just a study. It's probably flawed. It's nothing I did. But I'm sure you all know how hard it is not to try and blame yourself as well. I feel like all the other stories I read of kids who have all these food allergies also have brothers and sisters with tons of food allergies, and parents with food allergies/environmental allergies, etc. Or you do a TED for your baby while bfing and find out you are intolerant to many things and never knew. But dd is just an anomaly in this family. No one else has food allergies. No one else has any allergies or issues. I did the TED and this food, all food, is fine for me, it doesn't bother me at all. It's hard to look at all that and not feel like I did something to her somehow when she was inside me.

Shelsi I certainly didn't post this to make anyone feel bad. The whole allergy thing is such a puzzle, I'm always looking for pieces. I definitely don't think any *one* thing causes allergies. Just breathing and drinking water in our modern world opens us up to all kinds of toxins that stay. in. our. body. Unfortunately, we can't escape that. We can only do our very best with the knowledge we have at any time.

[mommydancer]

First, it's one study. Second, it's a study on rats. Third, they increased three other components in addition to folate:

In addition to folic acid, the high methyl-donor diets additionally contained higher levels of L-methionine, choline, and genistein.

So one of those compounds may have been responsible for the effect that they found...rather than folate.

Fourth...many of the babies whose moms took folic acid may have otherwise had birth defects...so it's the lesser or evils, right? We have to live forward...as CP said, taking new info into consideration, learning, but never holding ourselves responsible for acting the best we knew how at the time. We couldn't act on what we didn't know.

[Panserbjorne]

not to mention people have different genetic markers and therefore different needs for folate. I have a double marker and require twice what a person with a single marker does. There are SO many things to take into account. You can't put too much credence into one little *flawed* study.

[lucky_mia]

I took prenatals when I was pregnant with my twins. One has allergies, one doesn't. Go figure.

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by lucky_mia

I took prenatals when I was pregnant with my twins. One has allergies, one doesn't. Go figure.

Love your signature!

But now you've got me curious. Are they identical or fraternal?

[Mrsboyko]

B/G twins cant be identical, they are fraternal.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by Mrsboyko

B/G twins cant be identical, they are fraternal.

I assumed those were their initials...

[Chinese Pistache]

Duh! I completely missed that part! I just saw the "monkeys" part :

[acannon]

I thought allergies and asthma were genetic? I know asthma can have environmental causes (or, at least, that's what I've read). I'm on a weird path right now; I have a son who is, so far, allergic to cats and has a sensitivity to milk and I have no allergies. My mom is allergic to both of those, though, DH is slightly allergic to cats, and there are people in both of our families who are milk intolerant and have asthma. I wouldn't be surprised at all if DS had asthma, just like I'm not surprised that he's allergic to cats and possibly milk. I took folic acid during pregnancy, but I'm sure my mom did, too, and I have no allergies and neither does my sister. We were both exposed to second hand smoke during our entire childhoods and prenatally and neither of us has asthma, and we have a lot of people in our family with asthma, including our mom. I personally think it's a combination of genetics and risk, and some environmental.

[Panserbjorne]

asthma is an autoimmune disease and while it can run in families I do not believe that it is genetic. Same with allergies. There are many discussions on this around here and I'll have to see if I can find one to link to.