For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2007

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Folic acid can help prevent birth defects, a leading cause of infant death
January is Birth Defects Prevention Month

Birth defects are the leading cause of infant death in the United States, but many of those deaths could be avoided. January is Birth Defects Prevention Month, and Missouri is joining a nationwide effort to increase public awareness and reduce the number of babies born with birth defects.

More than 4,500 babies born in Missouri in 2003 had a birth defect, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Nationwide, about 120,000 babies are born each year with serious birth defects.

One of the most important things women can do to prevent birth defects is take folic acid before and during pregnancy.

“Folic acid is essential for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby,” said Glenda Miller, director of the health department’s Division of Community and Public Health. “By preventing birth defects, we can prevent lifelong disability and death.”

Neural tube defects – which affect a baby’s brain and spinal cord – often can be avoided with folic acid, a B vitamin included in most multivitamins. When taken prior to pregnancy and in the early weeks of pregnancy, folic acid can prevent 50 to 70 percent of neural tube defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly.

Since neural tube defects develop during the first month of pregnancy – before most women know they are pregnant – and since 50 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, it is vital that all women of childbearing age take folic acid daily.

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. A multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid is recommended because most women do not get enough folic acid from their diet alone, and the body absorbs the synthetic form of folic acid more easily than the natural form.

When taken in a multivitamin, folic acid may also reduce the risk for other birth defects such as heart defects, cleft lip and palate, urinary tract abnormalities and defects of the extremities (hands, fingers, feet and toes). 

In addition to taking a multivitamin, women should eat a healthy diet that includes fortified grain products such as flour, rice, pasta, bread and cereals as well as folate-rich foods including green leafy vegetables, dried beans, legumes, oranges and orange juice.

While it is vital for all women of childbearing age to know about the benefits of taking folic acid, the message is especially important for Missouri’s growing Hispanic population. National statistics indicate that Hispanic babies are one-and-half to two times more likely to be born with spina bifida or other neural tube defects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that among racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Latino women consume the least amount of folic acid and have the least knowledge about it’s benefits.

All women should make sure they are as healthy as possible before becoming pregnant in order to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Women should:

• Take a multivitamin containing folic acid daily
• Have a pre-pregnancy checkup from a health care provider
• Learn about their family medical history,
• Get reproductive genetic counseling, if appropriate
• Manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, seizure disorders, lupus or phenylketonuria (PKU)
• Abstain from alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use
• Make sure all medications and herbal supplements are safe to use at the time of conception and during pregnancy
• Avoid harmful occupational and environmental exposures

“It is vital that women make a commitment to take good care of themselves before and during pregnancy in order to give their babies a healthy start in life and a healthy future,” Miller said.

More information about birth defects prevention, folic acid education and preconception health care can be found on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services web site at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/folic_acid/index.html.