Latest folic acid Stories

Important prevention tips for young female athletesA study led by sports medicine researcher Anne Hoch, D.O., at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has revealed that young female professional dancers face the same health risks as young female athletes when they don't eat enough to offset the energy they spend, and stop menstruating as a consequence."These two components of the female athlete tetrad put them at higher risk for the other two; the cardiovascular and bone density...

Health Canada is advising expectant mothers and breastfeeding women not take the supplements Maxum Matragen or Maxum Multi-Vite. The vitamin-mineral supplements by Seroyal International Inc., have been only approved for the general public but lack the required cautionary statement on the label regarding pregnant and/or breast feeding women, Health Canada said in a statement. The product Maxum Matragen is being promoted by the company as a prenatal supplement; however, neither product has...

Pregnant women are advised to take folic acid to prevent birth defects, but U.S. researchers also say the supplement may help prevent premature birth. The study, published in the journal PLoS Medicine, found women who took folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half. Lead author Dr. Radek Bukowski of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston said the study is an observational analysis based on the...

Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLoS Medicine.The study links pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery rates of 50 to 70 percent, regardless of age, race or other factors. Of particular note is the drop in very early premature births, those babies who are at the...

Findings Reinforce March of Dimes Message: Start Taking a Vitamin with Folic Acid Before Pregnancy WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLOS Medicine. The study links pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery...

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.In what is believed to be the first study in humans examining the link between blood levels of folate "“ the naturally occurring form of folic acid "” and allergies, the Hopkins scientists say results add to...

A genetic breakthrough has allowed the engineering of multiple vitamins into a single plant for the first time, in hopes of granting a nutritive boost in the diet of developing countries. Though genetic engineering has previously been used to enhance vitamin content in a variety of crops such as rice, potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes, this will mark the first time that scientists have been able to intensify multiple vitamins in a single plant.European scientists have genetically modified (GM)...

Canadian researchers found immigrant women less likely than others to be taking folic acid before pregnancy to help prevent spina bifida and anencephaly. Neural tube defects -- birth defects of the spinal cord and brain, known as spina bifida and anencephaly -- can be reduced by nearly 50 percent with folic acid supplements taken just before and soon after conception. The study found 60 percent of Canadian-born women in the study reported using folic acid supplements in the three-month...

Immigrant women are less likely to use folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida, particularly those who recently immigrated to the country, according to a new study led by a St. Michael's Hospital physician in collaboration with Statistics Canada, Health Canada and the University of Toronto. The study is the first to provide national estimates of pre-pregnancy folic acid use in Canada. "Our study's findings report that while about six in 10 Canadian-born...

A review of previously published studies suggests that vegetable and nut intake and a Mediterranean dietary pattern appear to be associated with a lower risk for heart disease, according to a report published in the April 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, intake of trans-fatty acids and foods with a high glycemic index may be harmful to heart health."The relationship between dietary factors and coronary heart disease has been a major...