Resolve to Make Folic Acid a Daily Habit in the New Year

NASHVILLE - The Department of Health is reminding all women of childbearing age about the need for folic acid, whether they’re planning a baby right now or not. The Department will join observances of Folic Acid Awareness Week January 5 – 11, 2009. “New Year, New You! Make a Daily Multivitamin Part of Your New Year” is the theme of this observance designed to increase awareness about the benefits of daily folic acid intake.

 

“Folic acid awareness is needed now more than ever,” said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN. “We need to educate all women that folic acid can help prevent birth defects of the brain and spine. The message is simple: be good to yourself in the New Year and take a multivitamin with folic acid every day, in addition to eating a healthy diet.”

 

Birth defects remain a leading cause of infant mortality in both Tennessee and the United States. In a typical year, about 40 Tennessee babies are born with either spina bifida or anencephaly, two of the neural tube defects that may be prevented if women have adequate folic acid before becoming pregnant and during the very early weeks of pregnancy. To help avoid these birth defects, women need to start the habit of consuming the recommended amount of 400 micrograms of folic acid daily before pregnancy occurs.

 

Although all enriched cereals and grain products in the United States are fortified with the B vitamin folic acid, only one third of American women of childbearing age consume the recommended daily amount. Taking a multivitamin with folic acid every day is a simple way that women can get the optimum dosage.

 

Neural tube defects disproportionately affect Hispanic babies, who are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than other children in the United States to be born with an NTD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that American Latinas consume the least amount of folic acid and have the least knowledge about folic acid among racial or ethnic groups in this country.

 

Folic acid is vital for all women, even those who aren’t planning to become pregnant, since studies show that half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Taking folic acid before pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects by as much as 70 percent.

 

The Public Health Service and Institute of Medicine recommend that all women capable of having children consume 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. This is the amount found in most multivitamins. Chewable vitamins are an option for women who have difficulty swallowing pills.

 

There are other ways to get the recommended amount of folic acid. Many fortified cereal products contain 100 percent of the suggested daily value for folic acid; check recommended serving sizes to ensure you are getting the needed amount of folic acid. Foods rich in folate, the form of the vitamin found in food, include enriched pasta, rice, grits, dried beans and peas, orange juice, cantaloupe, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, lima beans, Romaine lettuce, nuts and peanut butter. 

 

Make taking a daily multivitamin or eating foods that contain 100 percent of the recommended daily value for folic acid part of a “New Year, New You” commitment this year. For more information on folic acid, visit the Department of Health Web site at http://health.state.tn.us/FactSheets/folic_acid.htm.