Folic
Acid Use By Pregnant Women On The Rise
Forty percent of American
women of childbearing age now get enough folic acid to help
prevent birth defects, according to a new March of Dimes
Gallup survey published in the Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report (MMWR).
The MMWR
is a publication of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
That is a record
proportion of women, up from 32 percent in last year's survey.
While it is still far from the majority of women, it is heartening
progress, March of Dimes officials say.
"We're still only
at 40 percent, but that's a lot better [than in past years],"
says Dr. Siobhan Dolan, associate medical director for the organization.
"That's a big jump. Eight percent is a big and very exciting
jump."
Folic
Acid Prevents Some Birth Defects
For years, the March
of Dimes, as well as the CDC and other
national organizations, have urged women who could become pregnant
to be sure they get at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every
day to prevent birth defects. This is the amount found
in most multivitamins.
Folic acid is a nutrient
found in some green, leafy vegetables, most berries, nuts, beans,
citrus fruits, fortified breakfast cereals, and some vitamin
supplements. Folic acid, a B vitamin, is sometimes called
folate.
If women get adequate
amounts of folic acid before pregnancy, it can reduce the risk
of giving birth to children with neural tube defects, such as
spina bifida, a defect in the spine, or anencephaly, a brain
defect, according to the CDC.
Every year in the
US, about 3,000 babies are born with neural tube defects, according
to the March of Dimes.
Pollsters asked a
national sample of 2,012 women ages 18 to 45 about their vitamin
use, why they did or did not take folic acid, and about
their awareness of the importance of folic acid to prevent birth
defects, among other questions.
Seventy-seven percent
of the women said they were aware of folic acid, compared to
just 52 percent when the same survey was done in 1995.
While 40 percent of
women now take folic acid daily in the form of multivitamins,
just 28 percent did in 1995 and 32 percent did in 2003.
"In 1995, 4 percent
of women knew folic acid helps prevent birth defects," Dr. Dolan
comments. "But in 2004, 24 percent know that."
Women
Notice Nutrients in Their Diets
The low-carb diet
craze may have actually helped, Dr. Dolan notes.
"We had concerns that
low-carb diets might put women in a position where they didn't
benefit from fortification in the food supply," she says, referring
to low-carb dieters' habit of cutting down on or eliminating
breads and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
But it appears that
women on low-carb diets may have paid more attention to their
folic acid needs. In the new survey, 49 percent of women who
said they had been on a low-carb diet in the past six months
said they took a multivitamin every day with folic acid.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Online
Resources
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Center
for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
HealthierUS.Gov
March
of Dimes
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Library of Medicine
National
Women's Health Information Center
Office
of Research on Women's Health
US
Public Health Service |
November 2004
Folic
Acid Use By Pregnant Women On The Rise
Folic
Acid Prevents Some Birth Defects
Women
Notice Nutrients in Their Diets
Nutrition
During Pregnancy
Online
Resources
Nutrition
During Pregnancy
According to the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), about 300 extra
calories are needed daily to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
These calories should
come from a balanced diet of protein, fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains with sweets and fats kept to a minimum.
A healthy, well-balanced
diet during pregnancy can also help to minimize some pregnancy
symptoms such as nausea and constipation.
Nutrition is a primary
factor in the health of the mother and the baby.
The following daily
food servings for pregnant women are recommended by the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG):
-
9 servings of bread and whole
grains
-
-
-
3 servings of milk and milk
products
-
3 servings of meat and protein
foods
These serving recommendations
are for women who are of normal weight before becoming pregnant.
Underweight or overweight
women should discuss their nutrition needs with their physician.
Fluid intake also
is an important part of healthy pregnancy nutrition.
Women can take in
enough fluids by drinking six to eight glasses of
water each day, in addition to the fluids in juices and soups.
An expectant mother should talk with her physician about restricting
her intake of caffeine and artificial sweeteners. All alcohol
should be avoided in pregnancy.
The US Public
Health Service recommends that all women of childbearing
age consume 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid each day.
The most common neural
tube defect is spina bifida (in which the vertebrae do not fuse
together properly, causing the spinal cord to be exposed) which
can lead to varying degrees of paralysis, incontinence, and
sometimes mental retardation.
Folic acid is most
beneficial during the first 28 days after conception, when most
neural tube defects occur. Unfortunately, many women do not
realize they are pregnant before 28 days. Therefore, folic acid
intake should begin prior to conception.
Most physicians will
prescribe a prenatal supplement before conception, or shortly
afterward, to ensure all of the woman's nutritional needs are
met. However, a prenatal supplement does not replace a healthy
diet.
Always consult your
physician for more information. |
