title: Assessment of different folic acid supplementation doses for low-birth-weight infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The adequacy of 50 mcg folic acid supplementation given to low-birth-weight babies was investigated. The folate levels of the mothers and infants, and breastmilk, and the optimum dose for folic acid supplementation were also investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  After obtaining blood from 141 low-birth-weight infants on the 1st day of life for serum and red cell folate levels, the infants were randomly allocated into three groups according to the folic acid supplement dose. Forty-six infants were given 25 μg/d folic acid, 39 were given 50 μg/d folic acid, and 44 were given 75 μg/d folic acid. Folic acid could not be given to 12 infants. Follow-up blood samples were obtained at the end of folic acid supplementation. Maternal samples for red cell and serum folate levels and breast milk folate levels were obtained within the first 48 hours and the samples for measuring breastmilk folate level were obtained on the 3rd day postnatally. The feeding modes of the infants, maternal folic acid intake, and details of neonate intensive care unit course were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean birth weight and gestational age of the infants were found as 1788.2±478.4 g and 33.5±2.9 weeks, respectively. The mean serum and red cell folate levels on admission were found as 21.2±12.2 ng/mL and 922.7±460.7 ng/mL, respectively. The mean maternal serum and red cell folate levels and the mean breast milk folate levels were found as 12.3±7.5 ng/mL, 845.5±301.4 ng/mL, and 30.6±33.0 ng/m, respectively. The breast milk folate levels of mothers who were supplemented with folic acid during pregnancy were significantly higher compared with mothers who were not supplemented with folic acid (p<0.001). Infants who were supplemented with folic acid had higher follow-up serum folate levels compared with the basal level in all groups, but there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the folic acid doses of 25, 50, and 75 μcg/d affected serum folate levels similarly. We can conclude that the dose of 25 μcg/d is adequate for low-birth-weight infants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Newborn, Department of Pediatrics, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Çakmak
authors.initials: FÇ
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.affiliation: Division of Newborn, Department of Pediatrics, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aygün
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gülten
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdulkerim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedir
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Çetinoğlu
authors.affiliation: Division of Newborn, Department of Pediatrics, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Şükrü
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Küçüködük
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yüksel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bek
keywords: Breast milk; folic acid; low-birth-weight infant; newborn; supplementation