Folic acid is a B-vitamin. The recommended amount to prevent spina bifida and other neural tube defects is 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of synthetic folic acid daily. Convenient ways to make sure that you get enough folic acid:
Take a vitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid every day. (Folic acid pills are small and easy to swallow). Both folic acid pills and multivitamins can be bought at grocery stores, pharmacies, or discount stores.
Or
Eat a bowl of a breakfast cereal containing 100% of the daily value of folic acid per serving. Total, Product 19, Cheerios Plus and Smart Start are some examples. See the "List of Cereals that Contain 100% of the Daily Value (DV) of Folic Acid" under the Folic Acid for Life section
And
Eat a healthy diet that contains lots of fruits and vegetables and foods fortified with folic acid. "Enriched" cereal grain products such as pasta, rice, bread, flour, and cereals have been fortified with certain amounts of folic acid. Foods containing folate include fruits and orange juice from concentrate; green, leafy vegetables; and dried beans and legumes.
Folic acid in a vitamin supplement, when taken one month before conception and throughout the first trimester, has been proven to reduce the risk for an NTD-affected pregnancy by 50 to 70 percent. Folic acid is necessary for proper cell growth and development of the embryo. Although it is not known exactly how folic acid works to prevent NTDs, its role in tissue formation is essential. Folic acid is required for the production of DNA, which is necessary for the rapid cell growth needed to make fetal tissues and organs early in pregnancy. That is why it is important for a woman to have enough folic acid in her body both before and during pregnancy.
Contact: Donna Vandergraff, Phone: 765-494-8228, E-mail: vandergraff@purdue.edu
Funded by Folic Acid Council grant from March of Dimes.
