2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Doctors from the Scottish Association of Congenital Diseases of the Spine advise women of childbearing age to take a large amount of folic acid, thanks to which their future children will not suffer from spina bifida.
Spina bifida is a congenital defect of fetal development. The vertebrae of the fetus are not completely built during pregnancy, or more precisely - the vertebrae that cover the spinal cord are not closed properly. The main symptoms of the defect are paralysis of the lower extremities, incontinence and mental retardation caused by hydrocephalus usually.
In the last year, 15 children with spina bifida were born in the UK. This figure is twice the standard statistics. According to scientists, the number of children suffering from this disease has increased due to the fact that pregnancies are often unplanned and mothers start taking folic acid too late.
If the formed embryos develop Spina bifida by the fourth week, then the intake of folic acid is then useless. The fact is that folic acid significantly reduces the risk of spina bifida and this has long been known. Animals and humans do not synthesize this water-soluble B vitamin and therefore need to receive it with food or through the intestinal microflora.
Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, legumes, brown rice, wheat flour bread, yeast, it is also part of honey. In many countries, legislation obliges producers of flour and cereals to enrich their products with folic acid.
Experts from food standards agencies recommend that women take 400 micrograms (1 microgram equals 0.001 milligrams) of folic acid daily until the twelfth week of pregnancy. Women who are already pregnant with spina bifida, or who have been born with spina bifida themselves, should take 10-12 times the daily dose as standard at least two months before pregnancy.
The recommended amounts vary between 4 mg and 5 mg per day.
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