Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Maternal Folate On Fetal Brain And Body Size Among Smoking Mothers, Korede K. Adegoke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The adverse effects of maternal smoking on infant mortality and morbidity has been well documented in the literature. Maternal tobacco use is causally associated with fetal growth restriction and correlates negatively with folate intake and metabolism. Studies have examined the association between smoking and folate levels during pregnancy, but very few have assessed this relationship using objective and accurate measures of both variables. Furthermore, despite evidence of a causal association between smoking in pregnancy and intrauterine growth restriction, and a plausible relationship between tobacco use and low maternal folate which is required for optimal fetal growth, no experimental study has …