KARACHI, April 4: Mothers deficient in folate at the time of conception might give birth to babies with neural tube defect. This was stated by Dr Rahat Qureshi, Associate Professor Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University while addressing the last event of the series of seminars on ‘Women’s Nutrition and Health’ held at AKU premises. Organised by the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society in collaboration with the AKU, the seminars were held under the Continuing Nutrition Education Seminar Series 2006.

Dr Qureshi described the devastating effects of folate deficiency in mother on the foetus. This occurs in the first 27 days of pregnancy.

“Therefore, it is important to ensure that women of child bearing age are educated regarding the good food sources of folic acid such as green leafy vegetables and fruits and encouraged to include them in their diets,” she said.

Sumaira Nasim of Baqai University, who is also a senior member of the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society, pointed out that it was not enough to worry about the woman’s nutrition only during pregnancy.

She pointed out that low birth weight remained an ongoing problem in Pakistan with 30 to 40 per cent of the babies born being below 2.5kg at birth.

Dr Ghazala Rafique, senior instructor from the AKU Community Health Sciences Department, presented a case study on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus which was a temporary condition that occurred for the first time during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Usually, she said, there were no symptoms of gestational diabetes and it was diagnosed through blood tests at 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy.—APP