The Grain Connection

Folic Acid's Role in Preventing Neural Tube Defects

By Teri Brown

So much for low-carb diets! If you're planning on conceiving, that basket of bread or bowl of cereal just might be what you're looking for. A recent study done for the National Birth Defects Prevention Network and published in the March 2006 issue of Pediatrics concludes that folic acid may play a role in reducing the severity of neural tube defects (NTD) in addition to preventing the occurrence of NTDs.

Where does the bread connection come in? In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that grain and grain products be fortified with folic acid. Many companies started early, as they were already making other label changes at that time.

Judi Adams, a registered dietitian and president of the Grain Foods Foundation, says the drop in NTDs has been amazing. "The CDC estimates that since fortification of folic acid was mandated to enriched grains in 1998 in the U.S., NTDs have decreased 34 percent in white non-Hispanics and 36 percent in Hispanics," she says. "There is probably no other health initiative that has made that much difference in women's lives in such a short time."

NTDs occur when the infant's nervous system fails to develop properly. The nervous system includes both the brain and the spinal cord. Some of the most debilitating diseases, including spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele, are neural tube defects. Most infants with NTDs do not survive the birthing process, and those who do are often severely disabled.

"During early fetal development, nucleic acid and protein synthesis are at their peak, and the mother needs increased folic acid to prevent errors in DNA replication," says Adams.

Want to see more?

• Fabulous Folic Acid: A Tool to Prevent Birth Defects
• The Whole Story: The Appeal of Whole Grains
• Pregnancy Nutrition From A to Z: A Comprehensive List of Nutrition Issues for Moms-to-be
• Talk about it!