Folic acid even more baby-protective than thought

Not only does it fight spina bifida and some related abnormalities, new research shows it also may prevent premature birth and heart defects. Now pregnancy specialists are asking if it's time for the government to boost the amount being added to certain foods to help ensure mothers-to-be get enough.

First, Texas researchers analyzed nearly 35,000 pregnancies and found that women who reported taking folic acid supplements for at least a year before becoming pregnant cut in half their risk of having a premature baby. Their risk of having very early preemies, the babies least likely to survive, dropped even more. Then Canadian researchers analyzed 1.3 million births in Quebec since 1990 to look for heart defects, the most common type of birth defect. They found the rate of serious heart defects has dropped 6 percent a year since Canada began its own food fortification in December 1998. It's hard to get enough folate for pregnancy through an average diet. So health authorities have long advised that all women of childbearing age take a daily vitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid — even if they're not trying to conceive, since half of pregnancies are unplanned. Last month, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force went a little further, recommending that women take a daily supplement with 400 micrograms to 800 micrograms of folic acid daily. But because only about a third of non-pregnant women take precautionary folic acid supplements, fortifying foods made with enriched flour ensures everyone gets a modest amount.

Bonnie - I did my internship with the March of Dimes back when we began the campaign to fortify the food supply with folic acid. It is nice to now see the fruits of our labor.