Effects of Maternal Folate and Folic Acid Supplementation on DNA Methylation in the Newborn Infant

September 16, 2014 updated by: Young In Kim, Unity Health Toronto
An overwhelming body of evidence of the protective effect of folic acid supplementation on neural tube defect affected pregnancies led to mandatory folic acid fortification in Canada in 1998. Folate is an important co-factor in the transfer of one-carbon units essential in DNA synthesis, repair, and methylation reactions, aberrations of which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases including cancer. Epigenetic reprogramming occurs in utero and has the potential to be modulated by the methyl donor supply of which folate is a contributor. Animal studies have shown maternal folate exposure can modulate epigenetic changes in the offspring, however, there is limited evidence of this relationship in humans. The aim of this research is to determine the effects of maternal dietary folate and supplemental folic acid intake during the periconceptional and in utero periods on global and gene-specific DNA methylation in human infants. This is a prospective observational study involving 368 Canadian mother-child pairs recruited from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Dietary and demographical information was collected from consenting pregnant women at study baseline (12-16 weeks gestation) and in the third trimester (34-37 weeks gestation). Maternal blood samples were obtained at baseline and prior to delivery and a sample of umbilical cord blood was collected at parturition to measure levels of folate status. Global and gene-specific DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood will be correlated with cord and maternal folate status. The data will be analyzed using separate ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions. Results from this study will contribute to a better understanding of how maternal folate and folic acid intake can modulate epigenetic modifications in the offspring and potentially have an effect on disease susceptibility later in life.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

368

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1W8
        • St. Michael's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pregnant women were recruited from obstetrics clinics at St Michael's Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • singleton pregnancy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • celiac disease
  • Crohn's disease
  • irritable bowel disease (IBD)
  • gastric bypass surgery
  • use of antifolate medications
  • banking umbilical cord blood

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Pregnant women

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Global CpG DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood lymphocytes determined by LC/MS-MS
Time Frame: Day 1
Maternal dietary intake and supplemental use and blood levels of folate/folic acid and other one carbon nutrients in early and late pregnancy will be correlated with global CpG DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood lymphocytes
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Unity Health Toronto

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Young-In Kim, MD, Unity Health Toronto
  • Principal Investigator: Deborah O'Connor, RD, PhD, The Hospital for Sick Children

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 2, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

September 19, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 19, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2014

Last Verified

September 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 10-246

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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