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Folic Acid
Folic Acid
Having a healthy baby means making sure you're healthy too. One of the most important things you can do to help prevent serious birth defects in your baby is to get enough folic acid every day, especially before conception and during early pregnancy.
What Is Folic Acid?
Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables (like kale and spinach) orange juice, and enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and 800micrograms (0.8 milligrams) during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%.
The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida (an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull). All of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy, usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant. That's why it's so important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid, not just those who are planning to become pregnant. Only 50% of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she's getting enough folic acid.
Doctors and scientists still aren't completely sure why folic acid has such a profound effect on the prevention of neural tube defects, but they do know that this vitamin is crucial in the development of DNA. As a result, folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development, as well as tissue formation.
Getting Enough Folic Acid
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA recommends that all women of childbearing age, and especially those who are planning a pregnancy, consume about 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day. Adequate folic acid intake is very important before conception and at least 3 months afterwards to potentially reduce the risk of having a fetus with a neural tube defect.
The vitamin's importance in the development of unborn children was first suggested in the late 1960s, when researchers found folate deficiencies might contribute to neural tube defects. These neural tube defects occur in 1 to 2 per 1,000 births.
Nutrition information on food and dietary supplement labels can help women determine whether they are getting enough folate.
Barley Grass Juice Powder is our best, and recommended, natural source of Folic Acid. It is a 'living food' extremely rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, live enzymes and protein with essential beta-carotene as well as folic acid.
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