Folic Acid, One Of The Only Proven Ways To Prevent Birth Defects, Has A New Advocate

"However, while fortified foods are helpful, a healthy diet alone usually can't provide enough folic acid for pregnant women, so you need that multivitamin. They're easy to get over the counter and most brands contain the recommended amount of 400 micrograms," she says. Dr. Dolan says the March of Dimes and its partners now are petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fortify corn masa flour with this important B vitamin because NTDs are more prevalent in the Hispanic population than other racial or ethnic groups.

Hispanic women are about 20 percent more likely to have a child with an NTD than non-Hispanic white women, according to the National Birth Defects Prevention Network.  Although the reasons for the disparity is not well understood, Hispanic women have been found to have lower intake of folic acid overall compared to non-Hispanic white women.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies®, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE March of Dimes

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