Folic acid key to good health; particularly for childbearing women

Folic acid has been shown to drastically reduce the incidence of certain birth defects as well as prevent a number of chronic diseases

Folic acid is a B vitamin that is very important for everyone in maintaining good health, particularly women of childbearing age. Insufficient folic acid is a major cause of birth defects. The natural form of folic acid is called folate and occurs in certain foods including leafy dark green vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), citrus fruits and juices, and most berries.

Synthetic form more easily absorbed
The synthetic form of folic acid, which is more easily absorbed by the body, is found in multivitamin supplements, enriched and fortified bread and grain products such as breakfast cereals, and in folic acid prescriptions given to women at increased risk for spina bifida.

Studies have shown that if all women of childbearing age took 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, starting before pregnancy, the occurrence of neural tube defects, birth defects which involve the incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord and/or protective coverings for these organs, could be reduced by 50 to 70 percent.

Most common defect prevented is spina bifida
The most common of the birth defects that folic acid can prevent is spina bifida, which is the failure of the spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant. This defect now occurs in approximately one out of every 1000 pregnancies in the U.S., according to the Spina Bifida Association of America.

Some research has shown that folic acid may help protect your baby from other birth defects of the heart, limbs and face. In addition, studies show that folic acid may also help protect women and men from heart disease, cervical and colon cancer, and possibly, breast cancer.