{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:38:42Z","timestamp":1760146722314,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]],"date-time":"2024-12-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733443200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Adequate folate intake is required in preterm infants for rapid growth and development, but there is little evidence to back recommendations. We aimed to assess folate status in preterm infants at discharge and in early infancy, according to exposure to folate sources, particularly in those exclusively\/predominantly breastfed. Methods: A prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study was conducted in the UK, involving 45 preterm infants &lt;33 weeks\u2019 gestational age (GA) exclusively\/predominantly fed human milk when approaching NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) discharge. Serum folate levels were measured near NICU discharge (T1) and at 2\u20133 months corrected age (T2). Folate status was categorized per WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines: deficiency (&lt;6.8 nmol\/L), possible deficiency (6.8\u201313.4 nmol\/L), normal (13.5\u201345.3 nmol\/L), and elevated (&gt;45.3 nmol\/L). Nutritional information on feed and supplements was collected from hospital notes and maternal interviews. Results: Thirty-two infants (71%) received parenteral nutrition. Twelve infants (32%) remained exclusively breastfed at T2. No infant from the whole cohort had a serum folate concentration &lt;13.5 nmol\/L at either time point. A proportion of infants had serum folate concentrations &gt;45.3 nmol\/L: 14\/45 (31%) at T1, 19\/37 (42%) at T2, and 7\/37 (16%) at both time points. Elevated concentrations were seen particularly in infants who received folic acid supplements or nutrition containing folic acid, such as parenteral nutrition and breastmilk fortifiers. Conclusions: Folate deficiency was not observed in this cohort; folate concentrations were high and in line with those observed in healthy term infants. Further research is needed to assess the high folate concentrations in premature babies and whether they may have any adverse clinical impact.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16234220","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]],"date-time":"2024-12-06T09:55:20Z","timestamp":1733478920000},"page":"4220","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Serum Folate Concentrations in Exclusively Breastfed Preterm Infants Who Received No Supplementary Oral Folic Acid After Discharge: A Prospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Isabel","family":"Iglesias-Platas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7349-9517","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agata","family":"Sobczy\u0144ska-Malefora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutristasis Unit, Synnovis, Guy\u2019s and St. Thomas\u2019 Hospital NHS Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK"},{"name":"Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1987-5531","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vennila","family":"Ponnusamy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ashford and St Peter\u2019s Hospital, Chertsey KT16 0PZ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9786-6860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ajit","family":"Mahaveer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M13 9WL, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kieran","family":"Voong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutristasis Unit, Synnovis, Guy\u2019s and St. Thomas\u2019 Hospital NHS Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7657-2588","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy","family":"Nichols","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karen","family":"Dockery","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M13 9WL, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicky","family":"Holland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ashford and St Peter\u2019s Hospital, Chertsey KT16 0PZ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shaveta","family":"Mulla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Martin J.","family":"Shearer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Haemostasis and Thrombosis, Guy\u2019s and St. Thomas\u2019 Hospital NHS Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4967-4343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David","family":"Card","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutristasis Unit, Synnovis, Guy\u2019s and St. Thomas\u2019 Hospital NHS Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lindsay J.","family":"Hall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK"},{"name":"Gut Microbes and Health, Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UG, UK"},{"name":"Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dominic J.","family":"Harrington","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutristasis Unit, Synnovis, Guy\u2019s and St. Thomas\u2019 Hospital NHS Trust, London SE1 7EH, UK"},{"name":"School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guilford GU2 7XH, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6203-7632","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Clarke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich NR4 7UY, UK"},{"name":"Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"270","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.107.2.270","article-title":"Postnatal Malnutrition and Growth Retardation: An Inevitable Consequence of Current Recommendations in Preterm 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