Latest Neural tube defect Stories

Folate, a vitamin that helps make the genetic material in cells and considered essential for pregnant women, may also help heart patients, a U.S. expert said. Janice Hermann, an Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist, said folate works with vitamin B12 to make red blood cells, assists in preventing neural tube defects such as spina bifida in infants and may help protect against heart disease. If you have a low intake of folate, you may have anemia, weakness...

Researchers said on Monday that women should get sufficient vitamin B12 and folic acid before becoming pregnant to cut their risk of having a baby with a serious birth defect of the brain and spinal cord, Reuters reported.The study published in the journal Pediatrics said that Irish women with the lowest vitamin B12 levels were five times more likely to have a baby with a neural tube defect than those with the highest levels.Doctors know that neural tube defects can lead to lifelong...

Women obese during pregnancy have a small increased risk of some birth defects, such as spina bifida and neural tube defects, British researchers said. Katherine J. Stothard and colleagues from Newcastle University in England conducted a review and meta-analysis of studies to assess the relationship between maternal overweight and obesity and the risk of congenital anomaly in newborns. The researchers identified 39 articles that were included in a systematic review and 18 articles in the...

Obese women are more likely to give birth to children with birth abnormalities, according to new findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. British researchers said the health issues for children include spina bifida, heart problems, cleft palate and a number of other defects. The findings underscore obesity's role as a major health problem and add to evidence that being too heavy while pregnant carries risks for both mother and child.Katherine Stothard and...

Grain Foods Foundation Partners with March of Dimes to Remind Women of the Importance of Folic Acid in Preventing Birth Defects WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- A new March of Dimes survey conducted by the Gallup organization and funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals only 11 percent of women of childbearing age said they knew that folic acid should be consumed prior to pregnancy. Nearly 40 percent of American women of childbearing age (ages 18-45),...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Only 17 percent of Spanish-speaking women of childbearing age in the United States are taking a multivitamin containing folic acid daily, according to the first nationally representative folic acid awareness survey to focus on this population. Folic acid can prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), serious birth defects of the brain and spine such as spina bifida and anencephaly, which are more prevalent in the Hispanic population than...

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for National Folic Acid Awareness Week (January 5-11) and January's Birth Defects Prevention Month, USA Rice Federation has teamed up with the National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) to help spread the word about the importance of folic acid for good health, and to help Americans identify simple steps to boost their intake, such as consuming enriched rice. Research shows that folic acid, a form of the water-soluble B-vitamin folate found in...

Before brides-to-be say I do, they should be taking a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, U.S. researchers said. Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in foods, such as leafy green vegetables; but folic acid is the synthetic form of folate that is found in supplements and added to fortified foods. Elizabeth T. Jordan, a perinatal clinical nurse specialist and member of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition Board of Directors, said...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "For richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health," are some of the most common words heard in wedding vows. But what is often overlooked is the health of the married couple's future children. With National Folic Acid Awareness Month taking place January 12 through 18, 2009, brides-to-be should start thinking about saying "I do" to taking a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily--to protect their own health and the...

By Anonymous Taking a folic acid pill a day - a simple measure to prevent severe birth defects - is under-promoted in the media, under- recommended by health-care providers, and under-used by women of childbearing age, according to a review of studies. Less than one-fourth of women who are aware of the importance of folic acid take supplements daily in accordance with public-health guidelines, says Corina Mihaela Chivu, lead author of the systematic review, which appeared earlier this year...