Excess folic acid disrupts placental endocrine function in vitro: a potential mechanism linking elevated folic acid exposure with gestational diabetes mellitus

Description

Jessica M. Williamson and colleagues test how folic acid dose shapes placental cell behavior in a 2026 laboratory study. High intake of folic acid, the synthetic form of folate used in supplements and fortified food, is associated with higher risk of gestational diabetes. Because the placenta steers the mother's glucose balance, the team suspected it as the site of harm.

They cultured three trophoblast cell lines and sixty-six early to mid-gestation human placental tissue samples across doses from none to excess. Cell growth, movement, and invasion followed a U-shaped curve: too little and too much produced similar disruptions relative to normal levels. Only excess folic acid, however, raised secretion of placental growth hormone by about a quarter, and that hormone promotes insulin resistance in the mother. The authors offer this selective effect as a plausible mechanism linking high folic acid intake to gestational diabetes.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13253520