“…In humans, plasma zinc concentration (PZn) is affected by many factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, diabetes, and drug consumption such as 6‐mercaptopurine, thalidomide, and valproic acid (Uriu‐Adams & Keen, ). However, there is no consensus between plasma zinc status in pregnant women and the risk of NSCL/P in their offspring (Hozyasz et al, ; Krapels et al, ; McKinney et al, ; Munger et al, ; Shaw, Carmichael, Laurent, & Rasmussen, ; Tamura et al, ). Ideally, in order to evaluate this association, maternal zinc levels should be analyzed at the critical time of lip and primary palate formation is around six weeks of gestational age (Mossey, Little, Munger, Dixon, & Shaw, ; Sperber, ).…”