01.15.15
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1,300 babies every year were protected from neural tube defects (NTDs) as a result of fortifying grain foods with folic acid. These essential B vitamins contributed to a 35% decline in NTD associated brain and spine defects since 1998. This data was presented in a recent report from the CDC published in its publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
About 3,000 pregnancies in the U.S. still are affected by NTDs annually. The March of Dimes says that even with fortified grain products, many women still may not be getting enough folic acid. The organization urges all women to take vitamins containing folic acid, but only about one-third of women do.
"All women capable of having a baby should be taking a multivitamin containing folic acid every day," advised Siobhan M. Dolan, M.D., MPH, coauthor of the first March of Dimes book Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby: The Ultimate Pregnancy Guide. "It's also good to eat foods that contain folate, the natural form of folic acid, including lentils, green leafy vegetables, black beans, and orange juice, as well as foods fortified with folic acid, such as bread and pasta, and enriched cereals."
In addition, a separate paper, "Supplement Use and Other Characteristics among Pregnant Women with a Previous Neural Tube Defect-Affected Pregnancy—United States, 1997-2009," also published in the MMWR, found that among women who had a prior baby born with an NTD those who took high-dose folic acid (4 milligrams) with a subsequent pregnancy were less likely to have a baby with an NTD than those who did not take folic acid.
The authors urge women who had a previous pregnancy affected by an NTD to follow CDC recommendations to take high-dose folic acid beginning at least four weeks before becoming pregnant and continuing through the first trimester of pregnancy.
Hispanic women continue to be about 20% more likely to have a child with an NTD than non-Hispanic white women, according to the new research. One reason may be that wheat flour is fortified with folic acid, but corn masa flour, more popular among Hispanic women, is not.
The March of Dimes and other organizations have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fortify corn masa flour with folic acid in the hope of lowering the rate of NTDs among Hispanics.
About 3,000 pregnancies in the U.S. still are affected by NTDs annually. The March of Dimes says that even with fortified grain products, many women still may not be getting enough folic acid. The organization urges all women to take vitamins containing folic acid, but only about one-third of women do.
"All women capable of having a baby should be taking a multivitamin containing folic acid every day," advised Siobhan M. Dolan, M.D., MPH, coauthor of the first March of Dimes book Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby: The Ultimate Pregnancy Guide. "It's also good to eat foods that contain folate, the natural form of folic acid, including lentils, green leafy vegetables, black beans, and orange juice, as well as foods fortified with folic acid, such as bread and pasta, and enriched cereals."
In addition, a separate paper, "Supplement Use and Other Characteristics among Pregnant Women with a Previous Neural Tube Defect-Affected Pregnancy—United States, 1997-2009," also published in the MMWR, found that among women who had a prior baby born with an NTD those who took high-dose folic acid (4 milligrams) with a subsequent pregnancy were less likely to have a baby with an NTD than those who did not take folic acid.
The authors urge women who had a previous pregnancy affected by an NTD to follow CDC recommendations to take high-dose folic acid beginning at least four weeks before becoming pregnant and continuing through the first trimester of pregnancy.
Hispanic women continue to be about 20% more likely to have a child with an NTD than non-Hispanic white women, according to the new research. One reason may be that wheat flour is fortified with folic acid, but corn masa flour, more popular among Hispanic women, is not.
The March of Dimes and other organizations have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fortify corn masa flour with folic acid in the hope of lowering the rate of NTDs among Hispanics.
