Division of Neonatology, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Zekai Tahir Burak Maternity Teaching Hospital, 06230, Cebeci, Ankara, Turkey.
Eur J Nutr. 2012 Apr;51(3):385-7. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0261-9. Epub 2011 Oct 19.
Folate is an essential micronutrient for fetal development because of its role in de novo synthesis of DNA. The aim of this study was to compare neonatal serum folate levels of babies born to smoking and non-smoking mothers.
Infants of consenting pregnant mothers presenting at ≥37 weeks of gestation were enrolled. Subjects were divided into two groups based on their mother's smoking habits. Blood samples were obtained at birth (from the umbilical cord) and 1 month after delivery for the determination of serum folate levels using a chemiluminescence method.
Among 140 consenting subjects, 108 (77%) brought their newborns to their scheduled visit 1 month after delivery, 68 of whom were non-smokers and 40 were smokers. Babies born to smoking mothers had significantly lower serum folate levels compared to those born to non-smoking mothers, both at birth (17.2 ± 5 vs. 24.3 ± 4.9; p < 0.01) and 1 month after delivery (11 ± 4.1 vs. 17.5 ± 4.3; p < 0.01).
Our study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that smoking results in significant reductions in serum folate levels of newborns. These results suggest that folic acid supplementation may be required for expectant smoking mothers throughout pregnancy, not just during the first trimester. Similar supplementation may also be warranted for infants born to such mothers.
叶酸是胎儿发育所必需的微量营养素，因为它在 DNA 的从头合成中起作用。本研究的目的是比较吸烟和不吸烟母亲所生婴儿的新生儿血清叶酸水平。
纳入同意的孕妇在≥37 周妊娠时的婴儿。根据母亲的吸烟习惯将受试者分为两组。在出生时（从脐带）和分娩后 1 个月采集血样，用化学发光法测定血清叶酸水平。
在 140 名同意的受试者中，有 108 名（77%）在分娩后 1 个月按时带新生儿就诊，其中 68 名非吸烟者，40 名吸烟者。与不吸烟的母亲相比，吸烟母亲所生婴儿的血清叶酸水平在出生时（17.2±5 与 24.3±4.9；p<0.01）和分娩后 1 个月（11±4.1 与 17.5±4.3；p<0.01）均显著降低。
我们的研究首次表明，吸烟导致新生儿血清叶酸水平显著降低。这些结果表明，整个孕期，不仅在孕早期，吸烟的孕妇可能需要补充叶酸，而对于此类母亲所生的婴儿，可能也需要类似的补充。
