Association between early pregnancy maternal folate and glycaemic indices at oral glucose tolerance test: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Periyathambi, Nishanthi, Sampathkumar, Swetha, Sukumar, Nithya, Ghebremichael-Weldeselassie, Yonas and Saravanan, Ponnusamy 2025. Association between early pregnancy maternal folate and glycaemic indices at oral glucose tolerance test: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Developments in Nutrition , 107531. 10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107531

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Background Folate plays a crucial role in foetal development, but its relationship with maternal glucose metabolism remains inconclusive. Recent meta-analyses have suggested a correlation between high folate and the risk of GDM in pregnancy, however its association with different glycaemic parameters have not yet been explored. Objective To comprehensively synthesise evidence and test the association between early pregnancy circulating folate (<16 weeks of gestation) and glycaemic indices measured during oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) at 24-28 weeks. Methods We conducted a systematic search of databases up to 25th June 2025 examining the relationship between early pregnancy folate and maternal glycaemic indices. Study quality was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Standardised effect sizes (std. β coefficients) for serum/plasma folate were pooled using a random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to account for between- study heterogeneity. Results Ten studies were included in this meta-analysis. Early pregnancy maternal folate levels were positively associated with glycaemic indices measured at the time of OGTT. One standard deviation (SD nmol/l) increase in early pregnancy serum folate was associated with 0.01 (95% CI: -0.001, 0.01) mmol/l higher fasting, 0.17 (95% CI: 0.15; 0.18) mmol/l higher 1-hour glucose, and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.15) mmol/l higher 2-hour glucose levels during OGTT Subgroup analyses revealed similar positive association between mid-pregnancy circulating folate and glucose levels measured at the time of OGTT despite substantial between-study heterogeneity (I2>70%). Conclusions Our analysis suggests a possible association between higher early pregnancy folate levels and higher glucose levels at the time of OGTT. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the methodological limitations and limited number of studies included in this review.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Research Institutes & Centres > Centre For Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer)
ISSN:	2475-2991
Date of Acceptance:	11 August 2025
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2025 11:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180771

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item