Folic acid works
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat. A woman can reduce her risk of having a baby with neural tube birth defects by getting 400 micrograms of folic acid every day before pregnancy. But two-thirds of women don't get enough folic acid. That's highlighted in a study in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Some foods are fortified with folic acid or contain some amount of the natural version. But a simple way to get enough is to take a vitamin with 400 micrograms of folic each day, in addition to a healthy diet. The CDC's Sheree Boulet: "Taking a supplement containing folic acid every day should become as automatic as brushing your teeth or combing your hair. That way, we can ensure that more babies are born healthy and don't have neural tube defects." (11 seconds) Learn more at www.hhs.gov. HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss. Last revised: April, 06 2007 | 
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