Synthetic Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy Increases the Risk of Neonatal Jaundice in Newborns

Folate is easily and naturally absorbed and utilized by the body when it is metabolized in the small intestines. On the other hand, folic acid, which was first introduced around the 1940s and added to the prenatal supplements of pregnant women, requires the presence of a specific enzyme named dihydrofolate reductase, which is relatively rare in the body especially during pregnancy. The reason why synthetic form of folic acid supplementation by pregnant women should be replaced by natural folate, is that High folic acid intake by pregnant women will mask or may cause the vitamin b12 deficiency, which is one of the leading cause of increasing serum bilirubin in the blood of neonates.