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01965.txt
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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK01965}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Vitamins Prevent Birth Defects}
$Subject{vitamin Vitamins Prevent prevents prevention Birth defect Defects
birth-defect birth-defects New England Journal Medicine pregnant pregnancy
pregnancies multivitamin multivitamins supplement supplements folic acid
folic-acid folacin health healthy status malformation malformations neural
tube spina bifida spina-bifida spinal cord anencephaly head develop
development Public Health Service Food Drug Administration nutrition B
source sources liver wheat bran spinach asparagus beans navy lentil lima}
$Volume{}
$Log{}
Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Vitamins Prevent Birth Defects
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: A recent newscast on our local television station reported that
vitamins were effective in preventing some types of birth defects. I was
unable to catch the whole thing, but am hoping you have the information I
missed and need now. Would you be so kind as to include this in a column to
be published in the near future. Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: I suspect you caught a report about a study that was published in a
recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was conducted
as part of a nationwide Hungarian family planning program. There were two
groups of women, numbering 2000 each, preparing for pregnancy. One group was
given multivitamin supplements including folic acid (also known as "folacin"),
while the control group were provided only with placebo pills, containing
inert or inactive material. Then the health status of all the offspring was
recorded.
In the placebo group there were 6 cases of malformations classified as
"neural tube defects". This classification includes spina bifida (a
congenital malformation of the spinal cord) and anencephaly (where the head
fails to develop completely, a situation in which life is not possible). In
the group of women given the vitamin supplements, no neural tube defects were
noted. The amount of folic acid in the supplements was 0.8 mg. This study
confirms conclusions that have already been reached in both the United States
and United Kingdom. Both the U.S. Public Health Service and the Food and Drug
Administration have offered recommendations which include the use of folic
acid in the nutrition plans of pregnant women. The dose recommended by the
PHS is 0.4 mg of folic acid per day. Folic acid is one of the "B" vitamins.
Since it was found in high quantities in spinach (in 1941), a leafy vegetable,
its name was derived from the Latin word "folate" which means leaf. The
richest sources for folic acid are liver, wheat bran, spinach, asparagus and
many beans such as navy, lentil and lima, and it is readily available as a
vitamin supplement.
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.