NEW STUDY: Folic Acid Linked to Reduced Risk of Premature Birth
Folic Acid has long been recognized as a beneficial supplement to be taken by expecting mothers to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Recently, a study by Radek Bukowski from the University of Texas suggests that women who took folic acid for a year prior to conception greatly reduced the risk of premature birth. In fact, the study indicates that women that took folic acid for one year prior to conception reduced their chance of delivering prematurely by 70% between 20 and 28 weeks and 50% between 28 and 32 weeks when compared to women that did not take the supplement.
It is recommended that women planning to get pregnant take at least 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) per day and when pregnant, increase to 600 – 800 micrograms per day.
