The Effects of Maternal Vitamin Levels on Infant Birth Weight

Abstract

Aim: Malnutrition and vitamin deficiency during pregnancy result in low birth weight, neural tube defects, placenta and fetus anomalies and preterm delivery. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of maternal vitamin D, B12, folate and homocysteine levels on infant birth weight. Materials and Method: The retrospective study population comprised 76 pregnancies delivered at Goztepe Training and Research Hospital affiliated to Istanbul Medeniyet University between January 2017 and December 2019. Women were grouped as normal and low according to the vitamin D, B12, folate and homocysteine levels recorded at 37-42 weeks of gestation. Maternal serum vitamin D, B12, folate and homocysteine levels were defined as low <20 ng/mL, <200 pg/mL<2.5 ng/mL, and <5 ?M/L, respectively. It was investigated whether there was a significant difference between infant birth weight in both groups and the effects of mother serum vitamin levels on the infant birth weight. Results: The mean maternal age and gestational age were 24.7±4.5 and 39.6±1 week, respectively. The mean infant birth weight was 3320±345 gram. There was no relationship between maternal vitamin D, B12 and homocysteine levels during pregnancy and neonatal birth weight(p>0.05). When confounding variables were adjusted, a positive correlation was found between maternal folate level and infant birth weight (p <0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be considered that the level of maternal folate plays an important role in determining the birth weight of the infants.