Folic Acid Supplementation for Women of Childbearing Age versus Supplementation for the General Population: A Review of the Known Advantages and Risks
Table 1
Advantages and Disadvantages of Folic Acid Supplementation.
Advantages
Disadvantages
When taken before and during pregnancy, reduces numbers of neural tube defects in newborns [6, 7]
Possible increased risk of lung cancer among smokers with high dose folic acid intake [26]
When taken during pregnancy, reduces number of heart defects in newborns, especially ventricular-septal and conotruncal defects [20]
Increased risk of colorectal cancer, and other cancers with high dose folic acid [14]
When taken by “subfertile men,” increases spermatic parameters of absolute numbers and percent motility, while decreasing the percentage of abnormal forms [28]
