Zinc and folic acid nutritional status was evaluated in 74 low-income pregnant adolescents ranging from 13 to 18 years of age who received prenatal care at the Evangelina Rosa Maternity Hospital in Teresina, Piauí State, Brazil. In order to evaluate the effects of different supplementation regimens on nutritional status, the adolescents were distributed into five groups. Groups I and II received equal amounts of folic acid (250µg) and different doses of iron (ferrous sulfate), 120 and 80mg, respectively. Groups III and IV received equal amounts of folic acid (250µg) associated with zinc sulfate and iron at doses of 120 and 80mg, respectively, while group V received only 120mg of iron (routine dosage). There was a reduction in the zinc plasma concentration, and this decline was significant only in those groups which did not receive zinc supplementation. In relation to combination iron/folic acid and iron/folic acid/zinc, an excellent response was observed for folic acid, and this effect was larger in the groups that received folic acid combined with zinc, suggesting a possible role for zinc in folic acid metabolism.
Pregnancy in Adolescence; Iron; Folic Acid; Zinc; Nutritional Status
