Association Between Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Plasma Folate Concentrations With Child Metabolic Health

In this urban low-income prospective birth cohort, we demonstrated an L-shaped association between maternal plasma folate concentrations and child OWO and the benefit of sufficient folate concentrations, especially among obese mothers. The threshold concentration identified in this study exceeded the clinical definition of folate deficiency, which was primarily based on the hematological effect of folate. Our findings underscore the need to establish optimal rather than minimal folate concentrations for preventing adverse metabolic outcomes in the offspring.