Table 4.
Concentrations of folate and vitamin B12 biomarkers in those who did and did not supplement with folic acid (n = 299)a
| Biomarker | Daily folic acid implementation | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-use (group N) | Start before conception (group A) | During the first trimester (group B) | ||
| N | 50 | 49 | 200 | |
| Plasma folate (ng/ml) | 8.60 ± 3.27 | 16.78 ± 5.04c | 13.97 ± 5.86d,e | 0.000 |
| RBC folate (ng/ml) | 618.37 ± 274.03 | 827.57 ± 271.92c | 776.14 ± 307.68d | 0.001 |
| Vitamin B12 (pg/ml) | 787.84 ± 302.28 | 903.62 ± 374.93 | 762.33 ± 325.60e | 0.028 |
aAll values are mean ± SD. N represents the number of subjects with data available. bThe differences in change between three groups were estimated with ANOVA. cp<0.01 when group A compared with group N. dp<0.01 when group B compared with group N. ep<0.01 when group A compared with group B.