Word: folic
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Folic acid is one of the more essential B vitamins, especially for women of childbearing age, and a little bit--100 micrograms a day--goes a long way toward preventing spina bifida and other birth defects. That's why the U.S. government requires that all grain products be fortified with enough folate to stave off these so-called neural-tube defects...
...clear how folic acid does this, although the supplement is known to reduce levels of homocysteine, a blood component that can damage blood vessels. Women who got their folate eating foods naturally high in the vitamin--such as oranges, leafy greens and beans--didn't derive the same benefit as those who took folic acid supplements, perhaps because it's hard to eat enough vegetables...
...FOLIC ACID...
There's good and bad news on folic acid this year. First the good: a March of Dimes poll showed that women of childbearing age are heeding the advice on folic acid. Taking the supplement cuts rates of neural-tube defects like spina bifida as much as 70%, and the poll showed that 40% of women 18 to 45 are taking their daily dose--an all-time high. Perhaps as a result, rates of two major types of neural-tube defects have dropped 25% since...
...news: although taking folic acid reduces blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine-- a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke--no matter how much you reduce your homocysteine with folic acid, your risk of dying from stroke or heart disease doesn't change...