Thousands of UK birth defects ’caused by failure to fortify flour with folic acid’

Fortification of flour with folic acid is not mandatory in the UK, which has resulted in more than 2,000 avoidable cases of neural tube defects in the country since 1998.

1,300 babies each year saved from serious birth defects of brain and spine by folic acid

Fortifying grain foods with the B vitamin folic acid has saved about 1,300 babies every year from being born with serious birth defects of the brain and spine known as neural tube defects (NTDs)…

Study Looks At High Folate Gestational And Post-Weaning Diets

During pregnancy, women are normally advised to take high amounts of multivitamin supplements. In particular, folate is recommended to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in newborns…

Mutation Of A Key Folic Acid Enzyme Causes Neural Tube Defects In Mice

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that the lack of a critical enzyme in the folic acid metabolic pathway leads to neural tube birth defects in developing embryos…

Increased Consumption Of Folic Acid Can Reduce Birth Defects But Blood Levels In Canadians Are Now High

Folic acid can reduce birth defects including neural tube defects, congenital heart disease and oral clefts but some speculate high intakes of folic acid may be associated with adverse events such as colorectal cancer, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)…