Feb. 18 - Young Women Unaware of Folic Acid Requirements
Despite the fact that folic acid can prevent some of the most
common birth defects, young women aren't getting enough of it.
Only one in three women ages 18-24 takes a daily supplement
containing folic acid, according to statistics from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga. This age
group accounts for roughly 30% of all births in the United States.
"Everyone needs folic acid, but it is especially
important for women of childbearing age," explains Heather
Hamner, MS, MPH, a nutritional epidemiologist for the CDC's
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Prevention Research Team. "Folic acid has been found to
reduce a woman's risk of having a baby born with a serious birth
defect of the brain and spine by 50-70% if taken before and
during the first three months of pregnancy."
Because many of these brain and spinal defects
occur early in the first trimester, before many women are aware
they are pregnant, it is important that all women of childbearing
years take folic acid regardless of whether or not they are
pregnant.
Folate is a water-soluble B-vitamin that occurs
naturally in foods including leafy-green vegetables, certain
fruits, dried beans and peas. Folic acid is a synthetic form
of folate that is found in fortified foods and supplements.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for folate
is 400 micrograms per day for everyone age 14 and older. For
pregnant women, the recommendation is 600 micrograms; for women
who are breastfeeding, it is 500 micrograms. Despite these recommendations
from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences,
it seems the message just isn't getting out.
"Many women have heard of folic acid, but
they don't know that it can help prevent serious birth defects
of the brain and spine," Hamner said. "In 2007, only
12 percent of women ages 18-45 knew that folic acid can help
prevent birth defects." The numbers were even lower for
women ages 18-24.
According to the CDC, folic acid consumption
is an area of special concern for Hispanic women. Hispanic women
are less likely to have heard about folic acid, to know it can
prevent birth defects, or take vitamins containing folic acid
before pregnancy. As a result, Hispanic women have lower blood
folate levels and their children are 1.5 to three times more
likely to have a neural tube birth defect, such as spinal bifida,
than the children of non-Hispanic white women.
Here are a few tips from Hamner for women to
make sure they get all the folic acid they need:
-- Include fortified foods in your diet (breads,
pastas, breakfast cereals with folic acid).
-- Try some new recipes that include folate-rich
foods (orange juice, beans, dark leafy green vegetables, such
as spinach).
-- Make taking a supplement containing folic
acid a habit.
-- Tell a friend how important it is to take
folic acid, especially if she may become pregnant some day.
In addition to folic acid, women of childbearing
age should consume adequate amounts of calcium with vitamin
D and DHA omega-3, an essential fatty acid and building block
of infant nutrition that may promote a healthy pregnancy and
prevent late preterm birth.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends
that pregnant and nursing women consume 1,000 milligrams of
calcium per day and between 400 and 800 international units
of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D helps the body absorb and retain
calcium. Pregnant and nursing women should consume at least
200 milligrams per day of DHA omega-3, which is the same recommendation
for the general population.
Source: Society for Women's Health Research
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