Effectiveness of folic acid (FA) supplementation in Mexican women with genetic methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms

Résumé fourni par la source

In Mexico 1 of 250 newborns has a neural tube defect (NTD) and 70% of population has a mutation in the gene C677T that synthesizes MTHFR, a key enzyme in FA metabolism. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of FA supplementation in ensuring an adequate folate nutritional status in women of childbearing age with different MTHFR gene mutations. 96 healthy women stratified according to their C677T genotype [CC (wild type), CT or TT] entered a double‐blind clinical trial. They were supplemented with 400μg FA/day. Red cell (RBC) folate and homocysteine were measured at baseline, after 30 days of FA supplementation and 30 days after it was stopped. Data were analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVA. 3% had NTD history. Independent of genotype, baseline RBC folate and plasma homocysteine were similar and FA equally increased RBC folate even after stopping supplementation. A quadratic reduction (p = 0.001) in homocysteine levels occurred independent of genotype. The highest reduction was found in the TT group, but in all cases basal homocysteine levels were reestablished 30 days after ceasing FA. Conclusion. FA is effective in increasing RBC folate and in reducing homocysteine levels, independently of the C677T genotype. Partially supported by UC_MexUS.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.