Folate Reduces Risk Of Some Birth Defects

If you are a woman who is thinking about having a baby in the future, you should start thinking about folate now. According to the Food and Drug Administration, a diet rich in folate before and during pregnancy can help prevent neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord.

"Unfortunately, neural tube defects can occur in an embryo before the mother may even know she is pregnant,” says Dr. Barbara Kamer-Thompson, an OB/GYN at Clark Memorial Hospital. “That is why it is so important for women to have enough folate in their diets before they get pregnant.”

Folate is a water soluble B-vitamin that can be found in a variety of foods, including liver; dark-green leafy vegetables, such as collards, turnips, and Romaine lettuce; broccoli and asparagus; citrus fruits and juices; whole-grain products; wheat germ; and dried beans and peas.

According to Kamer-Thompson, women should get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folate a day before they become pregnant and 800 micrograms a day during pregnancy, especially in the first few weeks when the spine and brain are developing.

The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 2,500 infants with neural tube defects are born every year. The two most common are anencephaly and spina bifida.

Anencephaly is a condition in which the baby does not develop a brain, and is thus stillborn or dies shortly after birth. Babies born with spina bifida have a defect of the spinal column that can result in handicaps from mild scoliosis (a sideways bending spine) to paralysis.

Because of folate’s ability to prevent most of these defects, the Food and Drug Administration ordered the addition of folic acid in all food grains starting in 1998. Their decision was based on a study that said only about 25 percent of women of childbearing age regularly consumed enough folic acid.

“Though folate is important, it cannot ensure a completely healthy baby since so many other factors can affect a pregnancy,” reminds Kamer-Thompson. “Folate can make a significant contribution, but family history, a balanced diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes can all affect the health of a baby.”

For more information, call Clark Memorial Hospital at 283-2852. Or, to e-mail a question to our Women’s Health Coordinator, visit www.clarkmemorial.org and choose Ask A Nurse.

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