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Abstract
The present study reports an interim analysis of serum and RBC folate response to supplementation in a subset of participants with available baseline and 28 week blood samples (n=22). This analysis is part of an on-going double blind randomized control trial in pregnant women comparing the effects of 400 g and 800 g daily folic acid on folate biomarkers from the first prenatal visit (<12 weeks gestation) through delivery. Mixed effects analysis indicated a significant time effect for RBC folate concentration (p = 0.035) and this time response was significantly impacted by length of folic acid supplementation prior to enrollment (p = 0.047) and race/ethnicity (p = 0.016). No treatment effect was seen for serum folate, but both race/ethnicity (p = 0.007) and length of previous supplementation (p = 0.038) had significant overall effects on this variable. Overall, there was no significant effect of BMI on folate status. Completion of the study and further analysis is needed to analyze the effects of folic acid dose on additional outcome parameters such as oxidized folic acid in the serum and changes in maternal and cord blood DNA methylation.