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http://health.yahoo.com/news/44432

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• One of the most important things you can do to help prevent serious birth defects in your baby is to get enough folic acid every day - especially before conception and during early pregnancy.
• Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains.
• Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%.
• The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida (an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull).
• Doctors and scientists are still not completely sure why folic acid has such a profound effect on the prevention of neural tube defects, but they do know that this vitamin is crucial in the development of DNA.
• Getting Enough Folic Acid The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all women of childbearing age - and especially those who are planning a pregnancy - consume about 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day.
• Adequate folic acid intake is very important 1 month before conception and at least 3 months afterward to reduce the risk of having a fetus with a neural tube defect.
• In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that folic acid be added to enriched grain products - so you can increase your intake by looking for breakfast cereals, breads, pastas, and rice containing 100% of the recommended daily folic acid allowance.

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