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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Obesity and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #385263

Research Project: Improving Public Health by Understanding Metabolic and Bio-Behavioral Effects of Following Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Location: Obesity and Metabolism Research

Title: Maternal plasma folate concentration is positively associated with serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein across the three trimesters of pregnancy

Author
item DA SILVA, MANOELA - Universidade Federal De Pelotas
item MUJICA-COOPMAN, MARIA - University Of British Columbia
item FIGUEIREDO, AMANDA - Universidade Federal Do Rio De Janeiro
item HAMPEL, DANIELA - University Of California, Davis
item VIEIRA, LUNA - Federal University Of Pelotas
item FARIAS, DAYANA - Universidade Federal Do Rio De Janeiro
item Shahab-Ferdows, Setti
item Allen, Lindsay - A
item BRITO, ALEX - First Moscow State Medical University
item LAMERS, YVONNE - University Of British Columbia
item KAC, GILBERTO - Rio De Janeiro State University
item VAZ, JULIANA - Universidade Federal De Pelotas

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2020
Publication Date: 11/19/2020
Citation: Da Silva, M.T., Mujica-Coopman, M.F., Figueiredo, A.C., Hampel, D., Vieira, L.S., Farias, D.R., Shahab-Ferdows, S., Allen, L.H., Brito, A., Lamers, Y., Kac, G., Vaz, J.S. 2020. Maternal plasma folate concentration is positively associated with serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein across the three trimesters of pregnancy. Scientific Reports. 10. Article 20141. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77231-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77231-7

Interpretive Summary: Relationships between vitamins (B6, B12, folates) and fat-types such as triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) have been reported in the literature in cross-sectional studies. We examined these relationships over the course of pregnancy by measuring the vitamins and fats in blood from 179 pregnant women (20-40 y) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at 3 different time points (5th-13th, 20th-26th, and 30th-36th weeks of gestation). In our study, no relationships of B6 or B12 with the measured fat-types were detected. However, we found associations between plasma folate and TC, and LDL; increasing folate during pregnancy was correlated with increasing TC and LDL concentration. More research is needed to understand these relationships and potential effects of mother and fetus.

Technical Abstract: Cross-sectional studies associate lower concentrations of vitamin B6, folate, and B12 to higher concentrations of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and lower concentrations of high density lipoprotein (HDL). It is unknown its longitudinal effects of these vitamins on lipid variables in pregnancy. We evaluated the longitudinal associations between blood concentrations of vitamin B6, folate, and B12 and changes in TG, TC, HDL, and LDL concentrations throughout pregnancy. A prospective cohort study with 179 pregnant women (20-40 y) was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants were followed at 5th-13th (baseline), 20th-26th, and 30th-36th gestational wk at a public health care center. Longitudinal linear mixed-effects (LME) models were employed to evaluate the associations between plasma pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP), folate, and total B12 concentrations with changes in TG, TC, HDL, and LDL throughout pregnancy. Covariates were selected according to a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). Maternal age was 26.7±5.6 y. 44% were overweight or obese based on first trimester BMI. In the adjusted analysis, plasma folate was directly associated with TC (ß=0.244, 95%CI 0.034, 0.454), and LDL concentrations (ß=0.193, 95%CI 0.028, 0.357). No association was found between concentrations of PLP or total B12 with TG, TC, HDL and LDL before and after adjustment. The increase in folate during pregnancy was associated with an increase in TC and LDL concentration. Further studies are needed to see if these associations truly exist