Folate and Clefts of the Lip and Palate—A U.K.-Based Case-Control Study: Part I: Dietary and Supplemental Folate

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the associations between nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL-P) and cleft palate only (CP) and maternal intake of dietary folate and supplemental folic acid, in an area where the prevalence at birth of neural tube defects has been high and flour is not fortified with folic acid. METHODS: Interviews regarding periconceptional dietary intake and supplement use were completed with the mothers of 112 CL-P cases, 78 CP cases, and 248 unaffected infants. The data were analyzed by logistic regression methods. RESULTS: There was no overall association between CL-P and CP and either energy-adjusted total folate intake or supplemental folic acid use, irrespective of dosage. CONCLUSION: Overall, higher intakes of total folate do not appear to prevent oral clefts in this population.