Our results, though unexpected, suggest that folate supplementation in pregnancy reduces the risk of common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the child

Dr Judith Thompson

A study carried out in Western Australia found mothers who used folate and iron supplements during pregnancy had more than a 60% reduced risk of having children who developed ALL.

This protective effect was reduced to 25% for mothers who only used iron supplements.

Dr Judith Thompson, who carried out the study said: "Our results, though unexpected, suggest that folate supplementation in pregnancy reduces the risk of common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the child."

Researchers chose 83 children for their study group and compared them with 166 controls matched for age and sex.

Detective work

Mothers of study and control children were interviewed and fathers completed a questionnaire.

The Leukaemia Research Fund welcomed the findings.

It said they reinforced work done by the organisation's Professor Mel Greaves, whose team found childhood leukaemia began with a genetic change while the baby was in the womb.

Professor Greaves said: "This latest report on the dietary intake of pregnant mums is an important and timely finding and it is very encouraging to see it coming together with our genetic findings in this way."

Dr David Grant, Leukaemia Research Fund Scientific Director said: "One of the first questions the parent of a newly diagnosed child asks is 'what has caused this disease'?

"Painstaking detective work both here and by colleagues overseas is now bringing us much closer to answering that question."