Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: A new study suggests that women who are trying to get pregnant are not consuming enough folic acid supplements to protect their unborn child from birth defects.
The study carried out by Queen Mary University researchers on 500,000 pregnant women prompts that fewer than one in three women take folic acid prior to getting pregnant.
The findings prompted calls for the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification of flour in the UK. It is important to note here that US, Australia and more than 70 countries have already opted for this policy.
Folic acid is basically a member of the Vitamin B family. It has immense health benefits and plays a vital role in protecting most unborn children from developing spina bifida, a neural tube defect and other birth defects affecting the brain, spine or spinal cord.
Folic acid is found majorly in green vegetables, fruits and peas.
