Study Links Parental Vitamin B12 Levels to Birth Defects

A Fudan University study of over 3,000 couples found that higher pre-conception Vitamin B12 levels in both parents are associated with a reduced risk of birth defects.

The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed predicted birth defect prevalence dropped from 49.6 to 16.2 cases per 1,000 pregnancies between mothers with lowest and highest B12 levels.

The findings suggest that paternal B12 deficiency also impacts pregnancy outcomes, highlighting the importance of nutritional status for both parents before conception.